EveryDay Mineral Make-up Review

 I recently had been looking into getting some mineral makeup for two reasons.

Reason 1.) Summer is coming up, and with the heat down here in Texas, it is next to impossible for me to keep liquid foundation on. Plus, I believe lighter in summer is better!

Reason 2.) In my own personal experience, powder/mineral makeup is faster and easier to apply. So it comes in handy when your in a time crunch.

 www.everydayminerals.com

  I started researching different brands and came across a line called Everyday Minerals.  The line is vegan, which I love and inexpensive. I read alot of good reviews about it, hardly any negative so I decided to give it a try.
  I have been using EveryDay Minerals now for about a month and here is what I discovered : : : : :

*The foundation, blush AND eye shadows blend very well and make your skin feel like satin.

*I ordered just the mini-travel size of eye shadows since I didnt know if I would like them or not. They came in these lil tubes with a roller-ball applicator top!! I thought this was the most ingenious invention ever! When I went to apply though, it was another story! It doesnt make application impossible, but theres definitely a trick to it.

*All of the eyeshadows I got, minus two (the purple and black), were either labeled as 'shimmer' or 'pearl'.  They were way to shimmery for my taste. The only one though that I would consider over board in shimmer would be the one named 'in the garden'. I love the shade of it however when applied, its down right glitter.  I will be buying matte shadows next time I purchase. The thing I did like about all the shadows though, is that they were all very sheer.....you would have to work at it to 'over apply'. I like my eyeshadow to blend in and be more on the sheer side so this was a big plus for me!

* I also purchased one of their color correction concealers (in Sunlight.) This I also got in the travel size with the roller ball. This concealer works great for any red spots on the face, however it did NOT work for my dark circles at all. I have very dark circles normally though so maybe a different concealer color might work better......I just know this one was too light.

*The foundations are fantastic, couldnt be more pleased with me. Great coverage. Great color match. I have not gotten any break outs or irritation since I started use at all. I bought the tan collection (in sample sizes). Two of the shades are too dark for me right now (Ive been using them for contouring), but once summer rolls around and I get more of a tan they will work great. The shade I use right now for all over is called 'buttered tan', matches my skin tone flawlessly.  They offer the foundation in 4 finishes. Original glo base. Semi matte base. Matte base. and Intensive base.  The ones I received were a mixture of all of them. I like them all equally. I noticed a slight shimmer to the original glo base while it was in the container but once on, I couldnt see the difference.

* The three blushes I bought were : 'Time share' (matte) 'All smiles' (shimmer) and 'Snuggle' (Sheen).  My favorite of these is time share....partly because of the shade and how it looks on my skin and partly because the others make my cheeks look like little glitter balls! Will be ordering matte only when I make my next purchase!

*My FAVORITE thing that I bought from EveryDay minerals was lipstick. I cannot say enough good things about it. The color I got was called 'Enough talk, kiss me'. It matchs my natural lip color enough that I can wear it everyday without feeling over done. Its silky and adds a nice gloss like effect to the lips. mmmmmmmmmmmmm love this lipstick!!!

   In closing, I really dont have anything bad to say about this product line. I was very pleased with the results and will be ordering again!

The 100 thing challenge

 I was recently encouraged to read a article by a blog writer that I follow. The article is called  'the 100 thing challenge'. (Google it, it will come right up). The premise of this idea is to declutter and simplify your life. To get rid of unnecessary excess and to help you realize, through the process of choosing, what is important to you when it comes to belongings.

    With it being a New year I thought, why not?! So I am going to be giving it a go. I will select 100 of my personal belongings and box up the rest. (For all the 'rules' on this challenge see article). Now, after two weeks of having over half my things boxed, I will determine if I chose 'wrongly' and boxed something that was more important to me than I thought. The things that I could easily live without, depending on what they are, will either be sold or donated. 

  After I have chosen the things to keep, I will blog my list....A.) for personal documentation and B.) For those of you that are curious as to what is important to me! =p ha ha


  If you are up for the challenge, I encourage you all to try it with me.....after all you lose nothing, at the end of two weeks (or longer if you so choose) you can decide whether to permanently get rid of the things or put them back in your life.......nothing to lose, except maybe clutter!

Winter Weather Musts!

 Being back in Iowa this past week, with all the snow and freezing cold winds, I was reminded of the WINTER BEAUTY MUST HAVES and how important it is to have proper winter attire! Here is my personally recommended list.....spent 20 years in Iowa winter weather to perfect this list, so if you find yourself in snow or colder weather, you just might be thankful you read this blog!

 
Lansinoh nipple cream! I highly recommend this as a 'chapstick'. Its 100% safe to use on your lips and can be found at Target or Walgreens for next to nothing! I have always had extremely dry lips and honestly this is the only thing that works to sooth them! I use this year round though, not just in winter, but its thick and stays on forever, which is why its a 'winter' recommendation.

The Bee Bar is what I use to moisturize my skin. It smells great, works wonders for smoothing rough, dry skin, and the best part? Its 100% beeswax, which means bacteria cant live on it! Its one of the most recommended lotions by Doctors because of how sanitary it is. The one down fall is it is alittle greasy. They now offer a a thick cream lotion though that may be more to your liking.    www.beebar.net





Below is two pictures, under armour shirt and under armour pants. If you are going some where cold and snowy, I insist, INSIST you invest in these, you wont be sorry! I have at least 4 pairs of each, and they are worth every penny!

The number one important thing to have in winter weather is a uber warm coat! I own a Pacific Trail jacket, shown at left. Have had this jacket for years and its still in excellent shape, and its not from lack of use, trust me! These jackets are well made and so warm, I cant even tell you! You will forget its even cold outside when wearing this bad boy.

If all else fails in braving the cold, its wise to have a back up plan. Like a wonderful individual cup coffee maker waiting for you inside! I got this machine of heaven for Christmas and I completely heart it! It not only makes the most amazing cup of coffee youll ever have! But makes tea and hot chocolate as well! Theres tons of coffee brands to choose from, along with butt loads of different flavors to try!

    Hope this helps you all stay warm and beautiful during the winter months!

Grunge'ify Me!!

Above is a photo I took of myself yesterday after spending a whopping 5 minutes on my hair. I am and have always been a fan of the messy, rocker girl,I- hardly-care enough-to-spend-10 minutes-on-my-hair hairstyles. Some people call it the lazy look. I call it care free and playful. Some people call it lack of talent in the hair styling department (and in my case this is actually kinda true lol).....but finally my way of hair styling is being recognized with a name, other than lazy and messy...........it is now being called


   ***GRUNGE-GLAM!!!***

I couldn't love the name more!!  To me, this way of styling your hair says effortlessly sexy. It says I'm laid back and wont be two hours late for our date because my hair wouldnt 'work'! Sure, I like other hairstyles, sleek strands, elegant up-dos.....but not on me. Ive had my hair done professionally on several different occasions and every time I hated it....it was way to perfect. Perfect curls, no fly-a-ways. Enough hairspray to get me through a tornado with still perfect hair. Ugh.....tooooo much 'perfectness' for my taste! I love messy curls, 'beach hair', faux-hawks, crazy loose up-dos, and straight hair teased to the point of almost looking emo!

   I will admit, I DONT like spending alot of time doing my hair....actually, its one of my most least favorite things to do when getting ready. Lack of talent or lack of interest, I dont know and I dont care....messy styles (er, i mean grunge glam!) are easy and I love how they look so why mess with a good thing?!

Grunge-Glam styles are great for when your short on time too, like I was yesterday morning getting ready at the hotel. Because the messy styles hold better when your hair has mild build up of oils a.k.a 'dirty!'....you dont have to worry about washing, drying and applying product before you start styling. For my messy up-dos my main weapon is bobby-pins. For my messy 'down' do's.....a teasing comb and some hairspray.

    These looks arent for everyone, and yes, some will think "Wow...did they even look in the mirror?!"  But remember, the mirror reflects YOU (and what you like), not them and their opinions!  So rock it, and go grunge'ify yourself!

Roooooooad Trippinnnnnnn!

Oh how I love snow! I think now, more so than ever, since Texas for the most part tends to lack in that type of weather! While back in Iowa I was eating the weather up....there was a blizzard with snow filled winds that got up to about 38mph and lasted all day and night. Let me tell you, you couldn't see a dang thing if you went outside, and the pelting snow stings so stinking bad when it hits your face! HOWEVER, it was awesome to watch through the window, and when the wind finally stopped blowing and we were able to go outside, I was the happiest lil snow bunny ever! ha ha Snowmobiling is by far (in my opinion anyways!) the best winter activity out there. I love speeding along and knowing if I fall off all Im going to hit is fluffy snow! 

But even with my love of snow, I couldn't help but to hate it a little yesterday on the drive back to Texas. The drive, in normal conditions usually takes 11 1/2 to 12 hours. Long enough on its own without having to worry about snow and ice and driving slow! Our blazing driving speed yesterday was about 30mph. Sometimes slower. The snow and ice made the roads absolutely horrible! It ended up taking us a day and a half to get back.....longest trip ever!

 

For the most part you couldn't even see the road. I counted 27 vehicles and one snow plow in the ditch on the way back. One of those vehicles I actually witnessed go spinning into the ditch.......we called it quits shortly after that, hoping for better conditions the next day! Luckily the 'Days Inn' that was in that town allowed small dogs because otherwise I don't know what we would have done.... dressed Bear up like a lil boy maybe? ha ha! 

By the way, Bear highly recommends Days Inn, he says the pillows are like sleeping on clouds!

In closing, when driving a long distance, or a VERY LONG distance! It is extremely important to have some awesome tunage! Below is a list of songs dubbed as the best road trip songs ever, by Matador Network writer , Ian MacKenzie. 

My personal add-on to his list is the TRON movie soundtrack. Even if you haven't seen the movie, and have no interest in seeing it, it has the coolest soundtrack ever......very rave, electric beats that def keep you awake!! Its totally worth a listen!

 

• 1. ACDC – Highway To Hell
• 2. The Hives – Hate To Say I Told You So
• 3. Blink 182 – Damnit
• 4. Matthew Good – Rico
• 5. Supergrass – Pumpin On Your Stereo
• 6. Offspring – Get A Job
• 7. Bryan Adams – Summer of 69
• 8. Wheatus – Teenage Dirtbag
• 9. Crash Test Dummies – Peter Pumpkinhead
• 10. Spin Doctors – Two Princes
• 11. Violent Femmes – American Music
• 12. Rancid – Ruby
• 13. Tom Cochrane – Life Is A Highway
• 14. REM – It’s the End of the World
• 15. Third Eye Blind – Semi-Charmed Life
• 16. John Mellencamp – Small Town
• 17. Coldplay – Yellow
• 18. Tom Petty – Free Fallin
• 19. U2 – With Or Without You
• 20. Neil Diamond – Cherry
• 21. Mr. Big – To Be With You

One diamond ring & a three letter word

I'm Engaged!!!!!


I have actually been engaged for about a month now, but was seriously slacking on my blogging for awhile (sorry!!) so this never got posted!!


      My boyfriend, who now gets to be called my fiance (although that is the first time I've referred to him as that! lol) of two years proposed this January.......the answer was yes, although I almost forgot to actually SAY the word because I was so happy! In celebration of this engagement I will be posting various pictures (taken over the course of the past two years) of us......alittle virtual 'memory lane' if you will  =p ha ha! Enjoy!

Marine Corp Ball '09

Texas Christmas '10

 

2010

2008 Texas Trip, alil wrestling match (I won lol)

Six Flags over Texas '10

Branson Mo. family vacation

2008 MMA ringgirl

2010

2009 Marine Cocktail Dinner