Just me rambling.

This was yesterday's makeup.  I have been fighting this cold all week, so the makeup has been pretty fast and simple.  I used the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette, which seems to be my everyday go to.

I am currently sitting in bed, drinking a cup of coffee and watching the sun come up.  For some reason, I have been really enjoying my mornings lately.  Getting up, enjoying a cup of coffee and watching tv/blogging before the day really begins.  Doug is laying at my feet relaxing and occasionally getting up to "play" with the cat.  

It's already Thursday, which is the best news I have heard in a while.  This has been one of those weeks that just can't end soon enough.  We have no big plans for the weekend as of yet, other than a bridal shower for my cousin on Saturday.  I have heard rumblings of a snow storm on Saturday so it may just be a weekend relaxing and staying warm inside, which I am completely fine with.  

This post has been a complete ramble and shuffle of random thoughts.  I think its the cold medicine. ;) Back to bed for a while, and then on with the day!  Hope you all have a great day!

Lorac Pro Palette Review

Lorac Pro Palette Review

Today we are talking about the Lorac Pro Palette!  I have the newer Lorac Pro Palette 2 but I needed to round out my collection with the original!  Any excuse, right?!

This palette is another beauty.  To me, Lorac can do no wrong.  I love all my palettes that I have from them!  I also love that you get a mini sample of their eye primer with every palette!  I have enough primer at this point to last a lifetime!  ;)  

It is similar to the the Pro Palette 2, obviously.  It has 8 matte shadows in the top row, and 8 shimmer shades in the bottom row.  A lot of pretty neutrals are included in this, which I enjoy.  You can never have too many neutral colors in my opinion!

The case is the same soft material, which is nice, but does not stay clean at all.  I think I have used it twice before I took pictures of it, and it already had some kind of smudges on the front.  It is still VERY slim and VERY light weight though which is great!

Here are the colors and my swatches:

Without Flash:

 With Flash:

Swatches with Flash:

Swatches without Flash:

Seriously?! Pigmented much????? GO LORAC! You never disappoint!!

This one is becoming a fast favorite!! That mauve color is all I have been wearing in my crease lately!!

This one will set you back $42.00, which is the same as most good palettes out there.  Get it HERE.

Tip Tuesday----Cold and Flu Season!

Tip Tuesday----Cold and Flu Season!

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of post yesterday!  I have been fighting a BAD cold! Boo! But that leads me into today's Tip Tuesday!!

I have been blowing my nose constantly and of course my lips are chapped from having to breath through my mouth, but my nose is suffering the consequences as well!!  It is also dry and "chapped"!  Last night I was desperate, it hurt, it was red and looked terrible!  I was putting my chapstick on, as I do every night and decided to put a little on my nose too! I also put my facial oil on underneath the chapstick.  I know it sounds bizarre but I was desperate!

I woke up this morning, still with a cold, but my nose feels so much better!  (and soft!) haha!  Next time you are sick, try it!!!  I Hope you all stay healthy! I promise to back tomorrow with a special review!! :)

CoverGirl Ready Set Gorgeous Powder Foundation Review

Cover Girl Ready Set Gorgeous Powder Foundation Review

I have done a review already on the CoverGirl Ready Set Gorgeous liquid foundation which you know I love!  Click HERE to read that review! I was in Wal-Mart the other day and of course was wondering through the make-up ailes and remembered that I had wanted to try the powder version of my favorite foundation!  I got a different shade than the what I have in the liquid becuase it can tend to be a little light sometimes.  It is fine when I add my bronzer, etc. but I thought I would try shade 115 this time!

It comes in a pretty white compact with the Ready Set Gorgeous pink emblem.  I think this is really fun/young packaging!   It also comes with a sponge applicator, which works, but it is not my favorite thing ever invented.  

It is exactly what it says it is, a powder foundation.  It went on well, wore well throughout the day and covered pretty decently.  I wouldn't say this is full coverage by any means, but medium.  It is a good everyday, quick foundation.  I did try and use the sponge it came with and it does work.  To me though, it was kind of a pain and I did end up using my Sonia Kashuk foundation brush from Target. (Her brushes are great, by the way!)  I liked it much better when I used the brush.  

Please note that this was taken at the end of the day!  

(Hence the tired, "I wanna go home" face), but the foundation held up well!!

It is a pretty matte foundation, which is great especially in the t-zone.  This does last all day as well, just like the liquid.

Overall, it is a great product that I do recommend! 

You can get it HERE!

Lorac Unzipped Gold Palette Review

Lorac Unzipped Gold Palette

Today I am talking about the Lorac Unzipped Gold Palette.  It isn't terribly new, but it is one I have been wanting and when I saw it at my local Kohls (who else was unaware Kohls sold Lorac?), I knew it was time to put this beauty in my life!  Let's get started!

First of all it came with a Lorac eyeshadow primer as does a lot of their palettes.  I appreciate this because I enjoy their primer and with all the palettes I have purchased, I have a good supply of primer! :)  This palette is exactly what it is named:  Gold.  Not just in colors, but quality!  You really can't go wrong with Lorac though, in my opinion.  It is shorter in length than their pro palettes, and obviously not as many colors, but the pans themselves are quite a bit lager than the pro palettes.  It is beautiful white packaging with gold lettering.  It is simple packaging.  Slim, lightweight, and very pretty.  Because it is white, it may not stay super clean, but that's okay!

This is another great everyday palette.  Literally.  Every day.  I will take this everywhere because I think it will be a great travel palette!  The mirror on the inside is great quality also!  

This palette retails for $42.00 which is right where it should be.  GET IT HERE.

 This is a picture of the color samples on the box!

This is a picture of the actual palette!

Below are my swatches:

These colors?  YAAAAAS.  This should have my name printed on it somewhere!  There are 4 matte colors and 6 shimmer shades, all in a neutral brown/gold shades.  Undeniable and Unwind are beautiful crease colors.  Undressed is a great brow highlight, as well as Uninhibited and Unlocked.  The rest are great for all over the lid and to darken and deepen the outer corner for a nice neutral smokey eye.  There are so many things you can do with this palette.  The matte colors are beautiful and blend well.  The Shimmers are still beautiful,  but there was some fallout, which is fine as long as you know and put powder under your eyes so you can just wipe it away, but is something to remember.  

I intend on posting some tutorials using it soon!  Stay tuned!  Go get this one!!!

Tip Tuesday---Garnier Fructis Marvelous Oil

Tip Tuesday---Garnier Fructis Marvelous Oil

I have a magical product to help you this Tip Tuesday!!

This stuff is basically the nectar of the Gods!  It truly can be used for so many things!  I literally use this every time I wash my hair.  It controls frizz and keeps my hair so soft!  

I sometimes suffer from "dry scalp".  Especially in the Winter months.  Unfortunately.  Then I found this stuff!  I put it all through my hair, but then I take a fine comb and part my hair in about five different places and put the oil directly on my scalp and rub in where I know my scalp gets the driest.

Sounds awful right?  Putting oil directly on your scalp?  What are you thinking?  That will make you look like a greasy mess!  WRONG! It keeps my moisturized and beautiful!  Trust me!  If you suffer from this, go get it!  Even if you don't, go get it!  Its just plain good for your hair!....and scalp!    

Valentine's Weekend!

Happy Monday everyone!  Today is President's Day, and I was supposed to only have the afternoon off, but becuase of some "excitement" involving a water main break at the office, I get the day off!  Not the best reason for a day off, because it is going to be a mess, but it's still a day off! 

I am not sure what the plan is but I do need to at least go grocery shopping and relax a little bit!  (Laundry included in between)  I love days like this that I don't have a ton to do, or anything scheduled and not much to do around the house that I can just relax and enjoy.  It is kind of cloudy and gloomy out, which are my favorite days to be at home!  

Let me tell you about our weekend!  We had so much fun!  It started off by a not so fun event on Friday, a funeral for Jake's Aunt.  While I was getting ready for the funeral, I got the call that a water main was broken right under our office!  Exciting, right?! :S  After the funeral I did go to work and did what we had to do for the day, including getting things prepared for them to jackhammer a whole in the middle of the building!  After work I went home and Jake's nephew and his fiance' came up to spend the weekend!  

Lindsay and I went and got our nails done, while the guys did their Valentine's Day shopping!  Nothing like last minute guys!  We ended up getting our gifts that night, because, hello....you can't let us know there are gifts in the backseat and not give them to us!  :)  I got a beautiful necklace and a metal wall hanging that I have been wanting for behind my coffee bar!  Then, we then went out for mexican food!  MY FAVORITE! 

Saturday morning we slept in and the guys went to work, and we relaxed with Food Network and Gilmore Girls!  My kinda' Saturday morning!  

For Valentine's dinner we went to a restaurant none of us had been to, and it was pretty good.  Nothing beats a good steak!  We even ran into my parents oddly enough, so they joined us for dinner too!  

Here is Jake at our Valentine's dinner, and a selfie for good measure!

Overall, it was a good weekend that included all of my favorite things, pizza, tacos, manicures and jewelry!! What did you guys do?!

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette Tutorial!

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette Tutorial!

Today I have another simple neutral look using the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette.  

This look is quick and simple, and beautiful!

1.  I used a big fluffy blending brush (Sigma E40) with Salted Caramel first and really got it in my crease.  
2.  I used a smaller tapered blending brush (B-81 Tapered Blender) from Morphe with Milk Chocolate to darken the crease and the outer corner.
3. I then took a Sigma E55 with Semi Sweet and darkened up the outer corner even more.
4. I then took the same Sigma E55 with Haute Chocolate to further darken the outer corner.
5. I used the Sigma E40 again with White Choclate and Champagne Truffle miked to get under the brow and blend out the crease slightly.
6. I took the E55 again and took Marzipan and carefully put it right in the center of the lid.  I then just used my finger lightly to blend the edges out.
7. I then used Triple Fudge and an angled brush (Sigma E65) and lightly lined my eyes.
8. I also took a pencil brush (Sigma E30) and more of the Haute Chocolate and blended it under my eyes.

THAT'S IT!

 Foundation:  CoverGirl Ready Set Gorgeous

Eyebrows:  Anastasia Brow Wiz in Soft Brown

Lips:  NYX lip pencil in Mahogany and Lipstick in Minimalism

Peachy Bronze Make-up Tutorial!

Peach Bronze Make-up Tutorial!

This is a very quick and easy look!  I used only the Lorac Pro Palette 2!  

1.  I used a big fluffy blending brush (Sigma E40) with Nectar first and really got it in my crease and then took it all over the lid.  I focused heavier in the crease to get a more pigmented look in that area.
2.  I used a smaller tapered blending brush (B-81 Tapered Blender) from Morphe that I am loving with Light Brown and really got into the crease and outer corner.  
3. I then took a Sigma E55 with Rose and focused more on the inner corner and blending slightly into the center of the lid.
4. I then took the same Sigma E40 with Buff and went under the brow just to blend everything and slightly highlight.

Foundation:  CoverGirl Ready Set Gorgeous

Eyebrows:  Anastasia Brow Wiz in Soft Brown

Lips:  Mac Lip Liner in Soar and Mac Cremesheen Lip Glass in Romantic Overture

Tip Tuesday--Grease Free Hair

Tip Tuesday---Grease Free Hair

Today's Tip Tuesday is short and sweet.  And cheap.  And simple.  A little strange, but it works!

Next time you are out of dry shampoo and don't have dry shampoo, use baby powder!  Yup.  Regular old baby powder.  Not only does it take the oil away, it smells good and volumizes at the same time!  Don't worry, us dark haired girls can do this too.  As long as you rub it in well, which you should do anyway, you won't see it!

Just sprinkle it right on your roots, rub and brush your hair out!  Voila'!  

I wouldn't do this more than one day in a row, but it does work!  

New KitchenAid Mixer Decal

New Mixer Decal using my Cricut Expression Machine!

I did this one Sunday with my machine!  It was a project that I found on Pinterest that I thought was so cute!  It was A LOT harder than I thought it was going to be, and was my first real "big" project I had done.  Probably not a good beginner one! haha  

It took me so long once it was cut out to get the vinyl pieces separated because some of the lettering was SO teeny-tiny!  The big lettering is a piece of cake (Mmmmm, cake), but that little stuff---YIKES!  

Regardless, I just took my time and I think it turned out pretty cute!  

It definitely tested my patience though!  

What do you guys think?!

NYX Lip Pencil Haul/Review

NYX Slim Lip Pencil

Part of my NYX haul included the NYX Slim Lip Pencil.  I have heard so much about these and I had to try them!


They are amazing!  Creamy and long lasting, not dry at all. The complete all of my lip looks beautifully!

I got 6 total, and would have bought them all, but they are a hot commodity and many colors were Sold Out at the time!  I can definately see why!  Here are the colors that I got!

At a price point of $3.50, I do not know how they make any money, but I am sure appreciative!

I don't have much to say about these other than go buy every color right now!!

Tip Tuesday--Curl those Lashes!

CURL THOSE LASHES!!

I didn't used to always use a lash curler, but now it is a necessary part of my beauty routine!  It makes such a big difference for me.

I use just a cheapo lash curler, which is probably part of my problem--it needs a new "cushion" thing, but this trick really helps a lot!

I am sure you have probably seen this one before but I swear by it.

Grab your blow-dryer and your curler.

Take the blow dryer and heat the curler up at the end you put your lashes in.  You only need to do this for about 10-15 seconds otherwise the curler does get hot, so be careful!  Burnt eyelids are not cute.

Immediately go on and curl your lashes like normal.  They will hold the curl a lot better and much longer.

Think about it, we use heat to curl our hair to make nice long lasting curls, why wouldn't you do the same for your lashes!?

Favorite Foundation EVER!

Cover Girl-Ready Set Gorgeous

I was never one for liquid foundation.  To me, they looked cakey, thick, and just not good. I felt that they were clogging up my face and didn't like it!  I was a BareMinerals girl through and through!  All through high school--basically since day one of my make-up wearing life!  I remember my mom taking us to the BareMinerals store and getting matched for the right color and all that.  It was so fun!  I even got a VERY sparkly pink mineral blush--so concentrated that my mom still has it at her house!!  They had a lip balm that they literally showed us to dip it into this blush and make a pretty lip color out of it!  I thought it was the coolest thing ever!  It was a day to remember.  

Anyway, back to the subject at hand.  I was never one for liquid foundation, that is until I watched a video by one of my favorite YouTubers--MakeupbyTiffanyD (go check her out!)  She was RAVING (and still does) about this new Cover Girl foundation.  I had seen it in the store, and was intrigued by it, (mainly because of the adorable pink packaging), but never thought to try it!  

Literally the next day, I went to the store and bought it! 

I tested it out the next morning-obviously.  My life has been forever changed!  This foundation is no joke!  It is so blendable, creamy, and can we talk about the coverage!  HELLO!! My skin has never looked better in liquid foundation.  No cake face here!! 

It lasts ALL DAY LONG!  It is unbelievable how long lasting this foundation is!!  It is not matte, but now dewy really either--just natural!  It layers beautifully with my blush/bronzer/concealer etc.  It is what I am wearing in all of my recent pictures on the blog.

I use it with a damp Beauty Blender, and works beautifully.  I would be lying if I told you I have ever used anything else to apply it, but I am sure it would be just as beautiful with a brush or other kind of sponge.  My life, however, was not complete until I had a Beauty Blender.  Go get one.  Seriously.

It comes in a nice range of colors also.  I typically use 105, but sometimes I do mix a dab of 205 in with it just to warm it up a little and match my neck a tad better.  I also like the matching concealer that is in this line as well.  Just as good as the foundation!! Dark circles be gone!!

They also have a powder foundation in this line--I haven't tried that yet.  I probably should do that, right?  For comparison purposes...strictly business over here! ;)

For me, this is my holy grail foundation.  Now, of course I will try different ones, but this is it for me!  I think I will be hard pressed to find as good of a foundation at this price point! (Around $7.99!)

You can get this at any drugstore (Ex:  Wal-Mart/K-Mart/CVS/Walgreens or Ulta!)