Tribute to M.A.C. Cosmetics

A few years ago (like in high school but we aren't saying just how many years ago that was ;0) I made my first M.A.C. Cosmetic purchase... It was a plum lip liner with fluid lipstick.. I absolutely loved it and must admit that it sparked a slight obsession. While on our trip to California I was tempted to stop in every M.A.C. store in hopes of finding a new product that I "needed." I decided to suggest a few items that I think every girl could benefit from using if they don't already. First things first, a good mascara.. My personal favorite is Mascara X. This mascara really plumps my lashes but allows them to look soft at the same time. I love that this mascara is not gumpy or flaky but has the perfect consistancy. The wand is also very nice and separates the lashes helping with the "fuller-look."

My next must have is select tint foundation. I understand that some people may need more coverage depending on their skin but this is a VERY light formula that helps to even out skin tones.. Honestly this foundation is nice because it moisturizes, has SPF 15 in it while giving a great coverage.. It is kissable foundation as well because you aren't worried that your cheek will taste like make-up or that it will rub off too easily ;) I highly recommend this for those girls who like to look like they don't have a lot of make-up on.

For cheeks I like to look like I have "sun-kissed" cheeks.. I use a blush called Sunbasque during the winter months when I don't have much color in my face but during the summer I prefer a shimmer bronzer called Northern Light that doesn't add the color but just highlights the cheek and give it a slight glow. While we were in California Jodi bought this product from another line, the sales lady called it super model in a bottle but basically the idea is to give the effect of the picture above.. A high shimmer highlighting the cheek bones... I think I may have to find a similar M.A.C. product and try this look at night this summer!!!

All right girls if you don't already know about M.A.C. pigments you are seriously missing out.. These are highly concentrated color dusts that you can use either as a substitute for eye shadow or to enhance the color on your eyes... I have a color similar to the one above that I actually use to highlight just below my brow and in the corner of my eyes after i have applied eye shadow.. I also recommend the colors Chocolate Brown, Rose, and Olive... They are all beautiful by themselves and great compliments to other colors..

I forgot to download a picture of eye shadow but a couple colors that I couldn't live without are Naked Lunch as a base color and either Sable( a shimmery brown) or Club( an iridescent black) depending on the color of outfit I am wearing!!!

M.A.C. has great eyeliner colors if you are looking for a little softer look that just black. Two colors that I recommend are Prunella(a deep purple) and Teddy( a lighter brown/gold).. I find that these colors are dark enough to accent the eyes but with a day look to them as well.

Now it's on to lips.. My friends will tell you that I have a slight fetish for lipstick and lip glosses... I have three lip liners that I use and surprisingly I use all three with the exact same lipglosses depending on my outfit and the situation. My three favorite are.. Plum (still after all these years it is a great color,) Half-Red (my newest find that I have found is lighter than plum but still looks good for both day and night) and Whirl.. this is the lightest of my lip liner colors and honestly it goes the best for day looks and especially just a little liner and clear gloss..

Last but not least... not by a long shot... LipGlass!!!!! I really could never list all of the colors that are currently in my purse but the two I use the most are Blissfully Buzzed( a creamy shimmery light color)... Viva Glam VI( pinky/red with a slight gold shimmer)... and Hot Stuff ( slightly pink shimmer with lip plumper)!!
Hee Hee I hope that all of you who share an interest in make-up enjoy some of my suggestions.. For all of you who don't really get the make-up thing I am sure that you can enjoy at least the Lip Gloss!!

I hope whoever I marry understands my infatuation with this make-up and will allow me to indulge every once in a while.. If not I may just have to get a job at the M.A.C. counter to support the habit ;0

ENJOY

cALi-FoR-nI-a

Well as some of you may or may not know the girls and I took a much needed vacation to sunny California last weekend and here's a highlight of out trip. The pictures I am sorry to say are a compilation of mine and Jodi's so they are in a completely random order.. When we arrived on thursday we just picked up our car and headed to grab something to eat.. Thank goodness the rent-a-car service did not have the car that we had originally paid for so to compensate us they offered free GPS in our car for the whole week!!! It was seriously a life saver..

Friday night after a long day of shopping we decided to eat at the...

I know it sounds delicious.. the sign on the door says "eating out never tasted so good" sorry for all you pure minds out there but I just had to share.. Well anyways we were standing there, minding our own business, when my friend Jodi says " I think someone famous just walked by" we all immediately followed this "famous person" only to find out that Jodi was right- it was none other that miss Posh Spice herself- Victoria Beckham (sans the hubby unfortunately) but she was just in jeans and a t-shirt and it was really cool to see her down to earth like a normal person.

Our next night was absolutely AMAZING!! We went to see Wicked.. I have been listening to the soundtrack for over a year now and seeing the full production and finally understanding the context of the songs was the best. The actors and actresses had wonderful voices.. better than the original cast or at least comparable...

Me, Jodi, and Lindsey on the beach of Santa Monica.. Don't you love that sunshine?!? It was so nice, especially considering that it was 29 degrees and snowing at home ;)

Here's Aimee (Shelly's cousin), Shelly, and Me after Wicked...

So here we are just driving along Santa Monica Blvd. when Shelly says, "I am 90% sure that the temple is somewhere along this road." To which I replied " I am 100% because there is angel Moroni rising about the sky rise"... This picture was taken from our car, right in downtown L.A... how fun is that??

Don't hate us cuz we are beautiful!! These glasses were on Santa Monica Pier.. Which do you like the best?!? Be honest

OOH La La.. This is me gettting ready to soak in the hot tub... Thanks Jodi you should think about professionally taking pictures the lighting and angle were perfect ha ha

Aimee, Jess, Shelly, Lindsey, Jodi in the lobby after wicked... Can you tell by the smiles how much we LOVED the show??

Me, Shelly, Jodi, and Lindsey in front of the Kodak Theater.. They had yet another shopping center right there!! I swear all these people do is shop.

Jess and Lindsey in the Hot Tub... I think the steam really adds something to this picture..

Well there you have it, my trip to Cali. in a nut shell. Thanks girls for the memories and the great time. Next time we do this lets go for much longer and somewhere much farther away and even warmer... I really am grateful for friends who enjoy life as much as I do and who are always up for anything, I wouldn't change them for the world!! It was also nice getting to know Lindsey.. she may think we are crazy after four days with us but this is what "late twenties" and still single will do to ya!!! No matter what life will bring I will forever hold dear the experiences that I am having right now and wouldn't trade them for anything.

Obsessed with...Vampires!!!

I am going to dedicate this blog to one of my all-time favorite books.. Twilight. I know that some others of you may or may not have become enthralled with the lives of Bella and the Cullens (for those of you who still haven't I highly suggest you do!!) Well there have been talks about the movie and who will be cast for a while now and just recently the final cast was announced. I thought some of you might enjoy a preview of these unearthly beauties...

THE CULLENS (left to right)

Emmett, Rosalie, Esme, Edward, Carlisle, Alice, and Jasper

Not bad for a bunch of vampires.. for all you Grey's Anatomy fans isn't Esme- Eva?

I just liked these pictures of Bella and Edward and thought that i would post the lovely couple side by side. I personally think that "Edward" looks more handsome in the picture to the left but you've got to admit either way he looks kind of like a vampire ;)

Just a little side-note... The release of the 4th book in the series "Break Dawn" was announced on Feb. 7 and it will be in stores Aug. 2. You can pre-order the book for a lot cheaper from either Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com.. I read reviews that say they are pretty fast to get the books to you so it might be a good option as opposed to waiting in line at the book store. I already ordered mine!!! Gotta feed the obsession.

AhHh... The SiNglE LiFe!!

So it has been a VERY long time since the girls and I have been together livin' the single life.. Last saturday night we were invited to an 80's themed party. Fortunately for me, I had dressed up for halloween in 80 's attire so I didn't even have to worry about a costume and Shelly and Jodi both found the majority of their clothes at local stores like "Express." We were a little worried that not everyone would be dressed up but as you can see in the picture below there were plenty of 80's babies in all their neon glory!!

Gotta love those bright pink cheeks!!

So I don't know what my problem was but I kept closing my eyes, the guy taking the picture told me to make sure that I didn't close them and so I opened them really wide not expecting the picture to be taken right at that moment... Oh well at least my eyes weren't closed ;)

Can I tell you how much I love guitar hero?!? Here I am in all my glory rockin' out with the boys.. I think I did the best of all the girls the whole night!!

The group photo... I am surprised more people weren't blinded in the 80's look at all those bright colors... Holy crap! For sure these styles should never come back..

A new updated look for Miss America?!?

Some of you may know that my family and I are "slightly" obsessed with pageants. Well we gathered together this past Saturday once again to see who our new Miss America would be... There had been talk that Miss Utah was a favorite which was even more incentive to watch. Well needless to say Utah didn't win, she only made it to the Top 16 but was voted in by the public which I think is a huge honor. There had also been talk about a "new" look for Miss America, as opposed to the big hair and lots of make-up that had become so common. If you take a look at the picture to the right, I feel that both Miss Wisconsin (in the red) and Miss California(in the gold) had much more updated looks and wore dresses that I think I would wear (if they had sleeves of course!)




This is Miss Wisconsin's candidate profile from the Miss America website... I think she looks so naturally beautiful which is something that a lot of American women either don't have or don't appreciate. For me Miss America should be someone who can throw on a hat and wear no make-up and be just as beautiful cuz her beauty comes from the inside! Not to mention Miss Wisconsin is the ONLY contestant who didn't either sing or dance for her talent. She played the electric violin and it was amazing. Miss California sang but it was a very hard opera piece that was super impressive!!

Ummm are we at the ice-capades?!? Holy crap since when are see-through netting and crystals in style?? and is the slit really necessary since 90% of the dress is see-through... I am wondering ;)

Is that a cloud she's wearing??? Ok so I know she sang "Somewhere over the rainbow" but was a representation of the sky really necessary!!! Can you honestly say that is a modern dress cuz I swear I saw it in the 90's and not since then!!

I do have to admit that my mom said that Miss America was on Regis and Kelly on monday and that she seemed like she was a really cute girl and she looked better than she did at the pageant. So o.k. she is cute and nice and looked amazing in her swimsuit.. But was she the best candidate and the most talented??? No Way and her look was by far the most out-dated look of ANY of the contestants... That is what you get for having lame celebrity judges that wouldn't know real talent if it hit them right between the eyes!! I think they should let qualified people judge the pageant like they do at the state level so the right person can win next time :)

Candles, Strawberries, and a Massage!!!

Just wanted to share....
So Sunday was one month since Adam and I had been on our first date.. He called me earlier that day to tell me he had a surprise for me for later that night. When I got to his apartment there were candles everywhere and soft music playing ( as opposed to the punk rock/alternative we normally listen to.) So we sit down and chat for a while about all sorts of things, which is so nice cuz so many other guys want to just jump right into the nitty-gritty!! So then Adam tells me how much he has enjoyed spending time with me that last few weeks and how great he thinks I am, you know all that sweet romantic stuff... which I totally love. He proceeds to tell me how the night is mine to be spoiled and he gives me a massage that was the best massage EVER!!
My Feelings about all of this?!? Loved it, absolutely!!! But I have to keep things in perspective and as awesome as Adam is and as much as a breath of fresh air that Adam is I have to remember that if I am going to love someone it is going to be forever and not just until death do us part. I honestly could never get married outside of the temple like my mom did with the hope that someday I will be able to be sealed to my husband.. So what do I do?? Do I continue dating Adam cuz he makes me happy and risk falling in love with him or do I end things for no reason because it can't go anywhere??? HELP! I feel like I should know what to do. I have given a million young women's lessons about dating non-members but it is completely different when you are with such a good person who treats you better than a lot of "members" that you have dated!!
Anyone with advice feel free to share, even if you are just some random person that happens to read this blog.. I could use any advice right now.

New Year... New Start!!

So things have been crazy for a while and I have seriously neglected by blog. Really nothing too exciting has happened to write about and I don't have any fun new pictures so this will just be a boring blog of writing!!

So something new for the new year... ADAM.. Let me tell you a little about Adam, I call him my "computer geek" cuz essentially that's what he is but there is so much more to him than that. Adam works at Staker Parson with me and has definitely been my knight in shining armor on more than one occasion when my computer or anything related has decided to quit working. We have chatted here and there about all sorts of things and I have known for a long time that Adam had a crush on me. The only drawback to Adam is that he is not a member of the church which made me really hesitant to even consent to go on one date with him. Well, I don't know what changed my mind, maybe I was just sick of being set up with all sorts of return missionaries and not having anything in common with them. So Adam and I went out for the first time on December 14. I initially thought it would be fun to just go out and maybe make-out with him expecting nothing more. Well... I had a great time with Adam, better than 90% of my dates lately, so we went out again and then he bought me a present for my birthday and thus our secret romance began. By secret romance I mean that only two other people at work even know that we date!! Adam is so amazing, he is sweet and funny and sensitive and cute and smells good and just fun... I know that I have to keep thing in perspective because religion is an issue that doesn't go away but I have needed something like this for a while and it has been refreshing.. I feel so peaceful when I am with him, something that Jordan never made me feel!!
So by mentioning Jordan I feel that I should share some funny information about how he got what he deserved.. So I had been pushed and pushed away and finally had had enough but when Jordan got out of school he all of a sudden wanted to spend all of this time with me which totally bugged me cuz he expected me to drop plans that I had made to hang out with him. I hardly ever made time for Jordan but there were a few occasions that I would go to lunch with him or something. Finally Jordan figured out that I am dating someone else and he was freaking out so he made me dinner which I told him would only end bad.. Last saturday DEC. 30 we had our final talk where he told me how much he loved me and wanted to be with me... Blahblahblah but in the end I told him I had moved on and wanted nothing to do with him.. He called several times that night but I was with Adam and when I told him that I was it only made him more mad and then he couldn't stop throwing up and I finally told him to call his mom. Well two days ago I ran into Jordan's sister-in-law who told me she wished I could go to Hawaii with the family instead of Jordan and that he was all upset after Natalia broke up with him... What?!? who the hell is Natalia? oh don't worry she has been Jordan's girlfriend for the last 2 and 1/2 months!!! HA HA HA no wonder he never had time for me..
Now I must admit that I was hurt by this information but I was happy as well because I had not let him back in my life and now he was really suffering.. There is so much more that I could share about this story but let me just say that I will not be talking to Jordan ever again... I don't even want to know that he exists!!! I can't fathom how someone could lie to someone they supposedly care about for months but I can say that I am much better off without him at all in my life and I am grateful to have someone like Adam in my life right now!!!