Awards: Versatile Blogger and Cute Blog Award

Hello, my Pretties!

Here is another awards post!

The next award I received was given to me by Andrea of dreafashionista.  It is the Versatile Blogger Award.  Thank you so very much, Andrea!

THE RULES:
♥ You must thank the person who gave you the award, including a shout out with a link on your blog.
♥ Share 7 random facts about yourself.
♥ Send the award on to 15 other bloggers whose blog you like to read and let them know about it.

7 RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME:
Hmmm...to think of another 7 random things about me after the last award will be tough!
1. I have gone to bed with makeup on way too many times.  It's a sin, I know!
2. My handwriting changes based on my mood.  I rarely write the same.
3. I was failing my math class in college with a 40.  Never ever happened to me before!
4. I own perfumes but I don't use them.
5. I haven't polished my toe nails in over a month.  That is unusual for me!
6. I wish I was a professional baker like on Cake Boss...sometimes.
7. I am terrified of carnival/amusement park rides.  You couldn't pay me to ride a roller coaster.

15 AWARD NOMINIEES:
"15 blogs that I like to read"...well, I read them all.  I wouldn't be subscribed to you if I didn't like to read your blog.  I will just tag all of you who read this post.  If you all want this award, take it, it's yours!  I think all the blogs on my reading list are worthy of this award.  All of you have different things to offer which is a great thing for me!

And I have one more award to share with you.  This one was given to me by Jen of Adventures in Beauty.  Thank you, sweet, Jen!

This award is the Cute Blog Award!  How cute!!

RULES:
1. Link back to the person who awarded you.
2. Answer the award questions.
3. Tell something about yourself that you haven't told any one on your blog yet.
4. Award as many blogs as you think worthy of this award.
5. Make sure to let everyone you gave the award to know that you awarded them.

THE AWARD QUESTIONS:
1. What is your go-to makeup brand?
    Because I sell Avon, it would have to be Avon.  I have a lot of it because I can buy it at a discount!
2. What was your favorite fashion trend of 2011?
    I'm not for fashion trends.  I tend to do whatever I fell like.  LOL.  But color blocking was pretty cool.
3. What is your favorite dessert?
    I said peach cobbler last time so my second favorite would be cherry pie with vanilla ice cream!
4. Favorite color?
    Teal.  I think.  I have so many favorite colors.  LOL.  But, um, yeah.  Teal.
5. What's your middle name?
    I don't have one!  I'm sad about that.  In school they would call me Lisa Marie as in Presley.
6. What's the last song you listened to?
    "Home" by Faith Hill on the radio on the way home.  "Hello, world.  Hope you're listenin'.  Forgive me if
    I'm young and speaking out of turn.  There's someone I've been missing and I think that they could be the
    better half of me..."
7. Cat or dogs?
    Probably dogs.  I love both but I'm allergic to cats.  Make me sneeze so bad!  I want a puppy and name it
    Pupcake!
8. Something you don't know about me is...
    I was a victim of domestic violence and while I never thought I would recover from all that, I did.  Little by
    little but I survived and now I have a better life with someone who truly loves me and takes care of me.
    It's not something I talk about but I just want you to know that if you are reading this and are going through
    this, there is still hope for you.  You can be OK once again.  I promise.

AWARD NOMINEES:
1. Cathy of My Pinktastic Life
2. Nicole of NV Beauty
3. Joann of LuckyDuckyLoves
4. Priscilla of MakeupJunkie88
5. Jenny of Jenny's Blog

So that's it!  That's all the awards I had received.  It's very hard to pick out all these blogs from a list of 300 blogs I follow.  Love you all!  So if I left you out, I'm sorry.  But please, feel free to grab one of the awards or all of them if you want!  You know you deserve them!

Luv & Luk,
--L.

Awards: Kreative Blogger

Hello, my Pretties!

I have received many blog awards in my short time blogging but it's been a very, very long time since the last time I received one.  Lately though, I received 4 within a couple of weeks time!

I apologize to all the beautiful bloggers who gave me these awards since I took forever and a day to accept them and share them.

I didn't want to do multiple blog posts for the awards so I am going to do them in pairs.  I hope that this is OK with you all.

First of all, I received two Kreative Blogger Awards.

Thank you Tamyr of IN2GLOSS and Ms. Glitz Glam of Glitz Glam Budget!

THE RULES:
1. Link back to the person that gave you this award.
2. Answer the questions below.
3. Share 7 random facts about yourself.
4. Award 10 other bloggers and let them know you nominated them.

QUESTIONS:
1. Name your favorite song.
    "I Kissed You (Good Night)" by Gloriana.  If you haven't listened to it, YouTube it.  Sweetest thing ever!
2. Name your favorite dessert.
    Easy.  Warm peach cobbler.  It's such a treat--I never get it!  Worst kind of dessert too by the way.
3. What ticks me off.
    The fact that too many things tick me off!  I don't know if it's age or stress in general but boy has my
    temper switched over to a short fuse!
4. When I am upset, I...
    Go over and over it in my head.  I tell whatever/whomever made me upset off in my head.  I bottle up my
    feelings and shut down for a bit.  If it's really bad, I'll cry about it for a bit.  Sometimes just listening to
    music and singing along helps me calm down.
5. Favorite pet.
    That would be our baby boy.  He is a Red Niger Uromastyx.  We have had this bad boy before our first
    child was born.  We have two girls so he is our son.  He is beautiful.  He looks like a tough lizard with his
    spiny tail but he is a sweetheart.
6. Black or white?
    Black.  Has to be black.  My sweet-tart is all about the black--clothes, furniture, decorations...  I was
    never into black until he came along.  He rubbed off on me.
7. Biggest fear.
    The worst thing in the world to me would to be to lose one of my family members.  ESPECIALLY,
    LOSING ONE OF MY CHILDREN.  Heaven forbid that I should ever lose one of my children to death
    before I die, but to think of that happening, breaks me into tiny little pieces.  I have struggled with them and
    have complained about them but they are my entire world.  I love them more than I ever thought a heart
    could love and without them, I would not want to exist.
8. Everyday attitude.
    Life for me these days has been tough for so many reasons but I always think to myself, "it could be
    worse".  Which is so true!  So many others in this world have a worse life than I do.  If I sit and think
    about my life, it's really not all that bad at all.
9. What is perfection?
    Being happy.  That's it.  If you're happy, you have it all.
10. Guilty pleasures.
    Makeup!  Duh!  If I have any change jingling in my pockets, you can bet it's going to makeup!

7 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME:
1. I cannot fall asleep until I am laying down on my right side.
2. I used to read my mom's Harlequin romance novels when I was younger.  Those are sexy!
3. I was obsessed, and I mean obsessed with Beverly Hills, 90210.  Luke Perry, Jason Priestly.  Hott!
4. I don't like Mickey Mouse and I feel like that makes me anti-American.
5. I wish I was a teacher instead of a stay at home mom.
6. I am easily amused.
7. I love country music more than any other kind of music.

10 AWARD NOMINEES:
1. Dinah of D.G.S. Beauty
2. Yu of Let's Make Yu Up
3. Khristine of Beauty and the Brute
4. Krystal of Beauty by Krystal
5. Dinorah  of Dinorah Baby
6. Jacquelyn of FabDiva20
7. Nancy-Lee of fashionCHICsta!
8. Kawaii Barbie of Kawaii Barbie
9. Lacey of Laceysmile84
10. Jazmin of My Pursuit of Happiness

Make sure you check out these fabulous ladies and their equally as wonderful blogs!

Luv & Luk,
--L.

Beauty Army: January 2012

Hello, my Pretties!

The other day, (or was it last night?), I posted my YouTube: Beauty Army: Kit Unveiling January 2012 and I promised that I would do a separate post showing you each of the six samples up close and personal.

So ladies and gents, I introduce you to the Beauty Army January 2012 kit--the inaugural kit.

My kit has arrived!  I placed the order for my January kit on January 1st when the website launched and it arrived in my PO Box on January 14th.  Only 300 of these first kits were available and I was so thrilled that I was able to receive one.  I heard that the site was down for so many people trying to get a kit because of the heavy traffic.  So, hopefully, the ones who didn't get a January kit will be able to get a February kit.

Opening the kit for the first time.  I was really excited to see this box!

I love the matte black finish with decorative glossy black print with statements such as "the look", "winged liner", "foundation", and "pretty blush".  This is a very sturdy box and will make an excellent makeup storage box or storage box period!  It reminds me of the old school coloring boxes that we used to have to take to school back in the day.  These days there are plastic boxes, which my daughter has, but in my day, they were cardboard.  Ah, memories.

I wonder if we will receive this kind of box every time we order a kit.  I'd love to get more of these.  These are pretty and durable and will function perfectly for storage in my makeup/office area.

I thought the pink camo was the perfect accent to this box.  Beauty (pink), army (camouflage).  Genius!  And right when you open the box, you see this little card.

The little card states:
"HAPPY NEW YEAR AND WELCOME TO BEAUTY ARMY!

YOU ARE AMONG THE FIRST TO CHOOSE YOUR SAMPLES AND DISCOVER THE LATEST, MOST EXCITING BEAUTY PRODUCTS AROUND.

TO LEARN ABOUT YOUR SAMPLES AND HOW TO USE THEM, VISIT YOUR ACCOUNT PAGE AT BEAUTYARMY.COM AND SELECT SAMPLE ORDER HISTORY FROM THE MENU.

WE'RE SO EXCITED TO HAVE YOU ON BOARD AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO MANY MORE MONTHS OF HELPING YOU DISCOVER WHAT YOU LOVE.

WITH BEAUTIFUL WELL WISHES,
BEAUTY ARMY"

And a quote at the bottom of the card reads: "Beauty is not in the face, beauty is a light in the heart." Kahil Gibran

Such a beautiful card.  And just FYI, I tried to get into my "sample order history" to learn more about my products to share the details with you but it was just blank.  I don't know why.  Shucks.

And here are the samples.  So cute how each one was wrapped in pale pink tissue paper.  It was like opening six tiny little gifts.

Boo-Boo Cover Up

Tiny, tiny little sample!  But I did see over on Twitter that a lot of kit recipients were saying that a little goes a long way.  I hope so!

I tried it here on the back of my hand where I have a tiny birthmark.  It didn't cover it up too well.  I can still see it.  And I also think the shade I received is a little too light for me.  I can see how it is probably the more universal shade but just a tad too light for my skin tone.

I was really excited for this one because I have a huge blue vein that sticks out on my right eye lid and I was hoping this would cover that sucker up.

LaRocca Pumpkin Fleur de Sel Body Polish

This stuff looks like blended up pumpkin pie and smells just like it too.  I am a huge fan of pumpkin pie, pumpkin anything, so this is heavenly for me.  This is a small 1 oz. sample so I will use it where my skin needs a little softening.

Bling Tone Eyeshadow by Myface.cosmetics

Sp"ice"y

This is a really pretty color.  Right up my alley!  It's shimmery and it's bronze.  What more could I want?!

This shadow was very soft and silky.  Swatched very well on my finger tip.  Very pigmented.

This is the swatch on the inside of my wrist.  No base, no primer, just bare skin.  Not bad.  Not as pigmented as it was on my finger but that happens with a lot of shadows.  The color is still very pretty...and very shimmery!  You can see a ton of gold flecks throughout!

Shea Terra Organics
Rose Hips Black Soap

I have no idea what "rose hips black soap" is but it is a deep pore facial cleanser which I need.  And it's 100% natural which I love.  It claims to be "micro-dermabrasion in a bottle".  Sounds promising.

The liquid is a little off putting.  It's so dark!  But if it does what it says then I'm all for it.  Upon opening it, I didn't notice a scent.  I don't know.  Hmm... Maybe it's just me?

SunFX Body Wash

This is a "silky soft, non abrasive body wash" with Aloe, Chamomile, and Calendula Extract.

"Relax and enjoy the subtle fragrances designed to stimulate and revitalise your spirits."  This does have a gentle, clean scent to it.  I had seen this on someone else's blog post and they said that it was for people who fake tan as this is supposed to be gentle enough on your skin to that your fake tan lasts longer.  I did not see that on the Beauty Army site.  Maybe I over looked that.  But I don't see that it states that on the tube either.

StriVectin-EV Get Even Brightening Serum

Never have I used StriVectin or even a brightening serum.  I just figured that I'm getting older and this might be helpful in evening out and brightening up my 30 year old complexion.  Hope it helps!

This is one pump of the serum on my finger tip.  I'm always iffy on trying new face products since sometimes it seems like may skin can be a little persnickety and react to harsh products.  We will see how this works out for me.

Ah!  Finally, the end!

Still not sure what Beauty Army is or how it works, check out their website at https://www.beautyarmy.com/ to learn more about this revolutionary company.

Luv & Luk,
--L.

♥♥ I did purchase this Beauty Army Kit with my own money.  I am not sponsored by Beauty Army.  I was not asked to or paid to do this blog post.  These are my own photos and opinions. ♥♥ 

YouTube: Beauty Army: Kit Unveiling January 2012

Hello, my Pretties!

I actually did another YouTube video the other day.  I know, I can't believe I came back for seconds!

This one is more of a Show and Tell video.  I received my Beauty Army inaugural kit the other day so this video is all about my reaction upon opening the kit for the very first time.

These are the 6 deluxe samples that I chose:
♥ Shea Terra Organics Rose Hips Black Soap Deep Pore Facial Cleanser (1 oz.)
    Full size is 4 oz. and is valued at $18.00.
♥ LaRocca Pumpkin Fleur de Sel Body Polish (1 oz.)
    Full size is valued at $38.00.  Size unknown.
♥ MyFace Cosmetics Blingtone Eyeshadow in Sp"ice"y (full size)
    Full size is valued at $20.00.  Getting this product alone made my $12.00 kit worth it!
♥ SunFX Body Wash (2.2 fl. oz.)
    Full size is 270 mL and is valued at $12.95.
♥ StriVectin-EV Get Even Brightening Serum (0.25 fl. oz.)
    Full size is 1.7 fl. oz. and is valued at $89.00.
♥ Boo-Boo Cover Up (0.01 oz.)
    Full size is 0.5 fl. oz. and is valued at $20.85.

All full size products can be purchased from the Beauty Army website.

To learn more about Beauty Army visit their website at https://www.beautyarmy.com/.

I will have photos of all my Beauty Army samples in a future blog post.  Stay tuned!

Have any of you joined the Beauty Army?

Luv & Luk,
--L.

♥♥ I purchased this Beauty Army sample kit with my own money.  I am not sponsored by Beauty Army.  I was not paid to do this video.  ♥♥

LFI: Cover Girl

Hello, my Pretties!

Time for another Look For Inspiration!

I named this look Cover Girl because I used only Cover Girl eye shadow singles for this look.  I do not know the names of these shadows because the stickers which had the name on the compact have since fallen off.

My last LFI was a smoky eye so this is the opposite.  This is a bright and colorful look using more than just 2 eye shadows.

I kept the look simple.  I let the colors do all the talking.  I used 3 different eye shadows.  I used a shimmery lime green shade a long the lower lash line.

I applied purple to the lid and blended blue into the crease.  I finished it off with a light shimmery brow high light and simple black liquid liner and a couple coats of black mascara.

This look is colorful without being in-your-face.  It doesn't look clown-y.  This type of eye look is good for those just starting off experimenting with color.

Also helping to keep the look toned down, is a slight flush of pink blush and glossy pink lips.  We want to keep the focus on the eyes.

My favorite part of this look was the lime green on the lower lash line.  So fun!

And that's it for this LFI.  Will you be recreating this look on yourself?

Luv & Luk,
--L.

YouTube: First YouTube Video Ever!

Hello, my Pretties!

OMG, I finally took the plunge!  I did it.  I recorded and uploaded my very first YouTube video ever!! I'm thrilled beyond words.

I filmed this while sitting in my car waiting for my daughter to get out of school.  Not the greatest place but I felt inspired to do it then and there and I knew if I let the moment pass, who knows when or if I'd ever feel like doing it again.

The more I look at the video, the more I think I look like a toad!  LOL.  Chubby much??  Haha.  So, try and over look that.

Try and over look how nervous I am.  I can't look at the camera! LOL.  My eyes are all over the place.  I say "you guys" a lot.  Ugh.  Haha.  And you can hear the cars and trucks whizzing by.  Hello!  It's a school zone people, slow down!

Any how, here is the video.  I just uploaded it tonight.  I didn't know it would go live and spread the news all over Twitter.  I got a tweet from @LeticiaLaura saying congrats on the vid and she was watching it right then.  I just about died, I swear.  OMG squared!!

I had no idea how to upload the vid or what I had to do.  I just played with it and that's all.  So now it's up for the world to see and critique.  Haha. I have such a thin shell and I'm scared of what will be said.  But it's OK. I faced a fear and that in itself is pure success.

Take a look and let me know what you think.  Constructive criticism is welcome!

And darn, you, YouTube for having the ugliest screen caps to choose from.  LOL.  Sorry, you guys!

And before I bid you good night, I just want to send out a special shout out to my Twitter Tweeties who did nothing but encourage me and support me in my little dream...

Thank you Letty (@LeticiaLaura), Nancy-Lee (@fashionCHICsta), and Amber (@glossflipflops).  You guys did nothing but encourage me today and that is why today was the day that I did this video.  Because of you dolls, I felt like I could do anything.  There is no greater feeling.

I cannot express my gratitude for all the sweet comments left on my YouTube channel and for the new subscribers I got already.  I'll do my best to provide you all with a great channel and I'll work hard not to disappoint you.

Thank you from the bottom, no, thank you from my WHOLE heart for everything.

Luv & Luk,
--L.

LFI: Smoky Eyes

Hello, my Pretties!

I've have been blogging and documenting most of my makeup looks for a little over a year now and I have never been able to successfully create a smoky eye.  That is, until now.  Well, maybe.

Here is a Look for Inspiration that I did attempting to do a smoky eye for the 1,000th time.

I have no idea why a smoky eye is so hard for me to do.  I've tried it so many times and each time it was a fail.  I think this look is the closest I have come to a successful smoky eye.  And it still needs some work!

I have a Lorac eyeshadow/eyeliner pencil that is black and sparkly.  That is what I used on my lid.  I applied it heavily and smudged it out with my finger.  I then applied a bronze shadow in my crease and blended it out as much as I could with an eyeshadow brush.  My brow high light was just a matte flesh tone with added matte white right below the curve of the arch of my brow.

And here is the point where I come to you for tips on how to create a great smoky eye.  What is it that you do?  I would love and appreciate any tips or tricks that you might like to share with me to help a girl out.

Wow, this just might be my shortest post ever!

Luv & Luk,
--L.