February Beauty Favorites

February came and gone so fast! Can y'all even believe that tomorrow is March? By the way, I know I say that every month. February was so darn busy for me. My play went up Valentine's Day weekend and I felt that I pretty much lived at the school. Working from 7 am til 10 pm was rough on not only me, but my husband and Kennedy too.

With all of my time spent at school, I didn't have that much time to focus on makeup and skincare, so things that work quickly for me and last all day have been my go to. And on that note, let's take a look at my February Beauty Favorites!

As a side note, I have been on a "no buy" month, so I have not purchased any new products. Okay, well, last week I did purchase the YSL Rouge Volupte and the Naked Flushed palette I mentioned in my wish list post with a Sephora giftcard, but that doesn't count. Right? Right.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

REVLON COLORSTAY FOUNDATION
If you've been reading a while, you know I am a die hard Colorstay lover. I have strayed since I first sang its praises, and I have used the whipped creme version as well. I went back and bought a darker shade (shade 180) of this in January and oh my goodness, is this foundation better than ever now that I have the absolute perfect color! It has been great to use on days when I'm in a hurry (this goes on easily for me just using my fingers) and lasts all day without any shine. Safe to say, this truly is my holy grail foundation of all time.

LORAC PRO PALETTE
Last week I posted a full review on this product, and I seriously think I didn't use any other eyeshadow palette in the month of February. I love it that much. Read my full review here.

ST. IVES GREEN TEA CLEANSER
I love natural cleansers without a myriad of chemical ingredients. St. Ives has really been impressing me lately, and among that is this cleanser. It does a great job of getting the job done while also has blemish clearing properties. Love!

SIGMA E40 BRUSH
This is a rather big fluffy brush if you are planning on using it for eyeshadow, but I actually think this brush is the best for many different things! It can be used for so many different things! I like to use this for using highlighter on my face, blending out eyeshadow, or setting my concealer underneath my eyes with some HD powder! Love love love this brush. By the way, if you are familiar with the MAC 224 brush, this is identical. Sigma brushes are seriously the bomb.

L'OREAL VOLUMINOUS FALSE FIBER LASHES
I have previously mentioned this mascara before as one of my favorites, and it even was my favorite mascara of 2012. I started using Cover Girl Lash Blast at the beginning of this year, and I have since then gone back to this and remembered why I loved it so much, so it's here on my favorites list. I like a drier mascara that is pretty fiber-y. This is pretty much everything I like in a mascara.


What are you loving lately? Leave it in the comments!

Coming Soon to a TV Near You...

....ME!

When a producer from Deals contacted me looking for local Houston bloggers to film some money saving segments, I jumped on that opportunity! Deals is a show that airs on ABC, and is nationally syndicated. Apparently this show is filmed in Houston (who knew?!) and is all about various ways to live a fabulous life for less dinero. I thought I would fit in with a beauty segment, and the producer was very excited for what I had in mind! I am all about a beauty steal and I am constantly searching for something that performs just as well as high end brands. I also believe in using things around your house to help with your beauty routine (I mean, I use EVOO as makeup remover because it's the best thing I've found). 

We decided on four different easy DIY beauty projects that we would film (all things that I have previously done before with success). Above are two of the four. Just you stay tuned because I will most definitely blog about them! 

The best part is that all the filming was done at my house! It was so cool to see all the camera equipment set up in my casa and really feel comfortable. As being a theatre director by trade, I feel like a lot of the production elements are very similar to a shooting session, and the producer was surprised at how well I understood how it all worked -- all the stopping, starting, repeating, re-enacting, etc. I am very comfortable in front of the camera and that kind of stuff doesn't phase me. I definitely had a few moments where I flubbed my words, but the great part about that is that I could start over. Can't do that in theatre!

They first did a short interview with me and had me speak about myself and my blog. Then we filmed all of the projects, and at the very end, they got some shots of me on my laptop, and Kennedy jumped right in and got in some of the shots (by that time, my sister had brought her home from school)! So not only am I a TV star, my 14 month old daughter is making her TV debut as well! She was hilarious in front of the camera. It's like she knew exactly what to do. What a little star!

I am not sure exactly when the show will air, but the producer told me that it would likely be in June. I will definitely keep y'all posted so you can DVR the show and hopefully be able to catch the recap online! In the meantime, check out the show Deals, and take a look at some of the awesome segments on their website. I have enjoyed watching all of the money saving clips!

Lorac Pro Palette Review

There's nothing better when you find a killer eyeshadow palette. Okay, maybe there are some things that could be better, but by golly, eyeshadow is waaaaaaay up there for me. I, for one, am a palette hoarder. I like the versatility they bring to my makeup drawer. I like how cost effective palettes can be (more eyeshadows for your dollar!) and it makes me feel better about buying them because it's cheaper than buying single eyeshadows.

Eyeshadow palettes are all the rage, as they should be. Everyone and their dog owns the Naked Palette, as they should. But.... dare I say... could I have found something that I love just as much, or maybe even more?

It is quite possible.

This, my friends, is the Lorac Pro Palette. You may all collectively "ooh" and "aah" right now. It is pretty. Scratch that - it is beautiful. I got it for Christmas (thank you, mother and father in law!)! It contains 8 matte shadows and 8 shimmer/satin shadows. That's 16 shadows for $42. It also comes with an eyelid primer (which I quite like). The Naked Palette has 12 shadows for $50. So definitely more bang for your buck. I honestly do not have much experience with the Lorac brand, but now I want to own more after owning this palette!

So, how do I love thee, Lorac Pro Palette? Let me count the ways...

- The packaging is really simple. Not gimmicky at all, very lightweight, sleek, and thin. Just what I like. It does feel pretty expensive, and that's good.

- I absolutely love having the versatility of having 8 matte and 8 shimmer shadows. It provides endless possibilities for looks. Endless. My favorite matte shade is Mauve. My favorite shimmer shade is Pewter.

- The color selection is pretty neutral, but I love that there is a "Garnet" shadow, which is super coppery, and the "Deep Purple" is great to have. Also, I like how the shades are named very simply. Like gold is "Gold." I don't know why, but I really appreciate that.

- The consistency and pigmentation of these shadows are superior. Super pigmented, easy application, little fallout. No glitter chunks all over your face (in yo face, Sidecar!).

- I feel like I can use so many of these shadows on a daily basis. So wearable!

- I just love this palette. PERIOD.

Let's take a look at it on me.

I realize the lighting is horrible (blogging after the baby has gone down means no sunlight). Also, what the heck is up with those folds around my mouth?! I have 4 months until the big 3-0, so this aging crap isn't supposed to happen yet! ANYWAY. Back to the eyeshadow. My favorite combination is using Pewter in the crease, Gold and Light Bronze on the lid, and Nude as a highlight. I then slapped on some gel liner and mascara called it a day!

Are you a palette hoarder? Come on, fess up...

On My Beauty Wish List

I have an ever growing beauty wish list. It's kind of ridiculous. I either have an ongoing list on my phone, or I keep track of it on Makeup Alley. Either way, it never dwindles. I am a self-proclaimed beauty guru, so I feel that it's part of the job description that I am supposed to keep a running list going. This month, I put myself on a spending freeze in order to save money. But that doesn't keep me from dreaming!

1 // Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette
Just say the words "Urban Decay" and "naked" and I'm in. No but seriously, I am a blush, highlighter, and contour collector. And these colors look gorgeous.

2 // YSL Rouge Volupte Shine Lipstick
I think it will make me feel like more of a woman to have such a luxurious lipstick. I have heard nothing about wonderful things, and I would like to get the shine version because I like a really moisturizing lipstick. Plus, the packaging is so luxurious. I will look fantabulous out in public applying my lipstick.

3 // Maybelline Color Whisper Lipstick
These lipsticks have been all the rage since they launched, and the color selection is amazing! So on trend. I gotta have me some.

4 // Armani Master Corrector
I am a sucker for color correcting cosmetics, especially ones for underneath my eyes. I have read a lot of reviews on this product and it is intriguing me a lot. I want to get the orange one to counteract my blue circles.

5 // ELF HD Blush
I do not own any sort of "HD blush", and I figured ELF would be a great place to start. I like the color selection. I would probably go with a pink-ish or rose shade.

6 // Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick
I'm pretty sure I have wanted a shimmer brick for forever. But somehow I do not own one. So I need one. Duh.

Do any of y'all own any of these products and would you recommend them? 

Also - what is on your beauty wish list?

14 Months

Yesterday, Miss Kennedy turned 14 months. Seriously. A full blown toddler.

HOLY. MOLY. She looks like.... a little girl!

KENNEDY LATELY:

- Seriously, where did that baby go? I can't get over this. 

- Kennedy has a pretty good vocabulary. She understands most of what you tell her and she is pretty good at communicating back with you. 

- Words she knows and says often: Dada, Dexter, Water, Duck, Uh Oh, What's That? (it actually sounds like "oh sh*t"....ha), Hi

- When you ask her "Where's your shoes?" she points to her shoes.

- When you ask her "Do you want to eat?" She walks over to her high chair and looks up at you like "Okay, already!" 

- She loves ducks. I think it's because she has a ton of them in the bath tub, and there is a picture of a duck next to her high chair at school (and her teachers always talk to her about the duck). In her book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?" you can tell her to point to the duck, and she does! It's so cute. She's basically a genius

- She understands when it's time to go "night night"

- If you ask her to point to the lights, she will point up

- Waves bye, claps her hands when you say "Yay"

- Gives kisses when you ask for them

Kennedy is officially weaned off of breastmilk, as well. We were down to one nursing session a day since the middle of January. About two weeks ago, I had realized that she hadn't nursed the entire day. She nursed the day after that, but hasn't again since. It was just like that. I guess I thought weaning would be harder than that, but it was a really natural process. I know a lot of it also had to do with the fact that my rehearsal schedule had me away from home more than I would have liked. Part of me misses the bond and the time we got to share together, but part of me is also glad that we are moving on and that I don't feel like the pump is a ball and chain anymore. I am so thankful we made it 13 and a half months with no problems!

This little girl has such a personality. She is always busy, always talking, and is very sweet. I love cuddling with her when she is tired. She loves cuddling and rubbing your hand. Kennedy is pretty much the sweetest thing ever. Obviously.

Here are a few more pictures of her that I snapped while we were playing outside. It was a beautiful day, and I had a beautiful little model to work with!

HAPPY 14 MONTHS, LITTLE MISS KENNEDY! WE LOVE YOU!

Evening Smoky Eye Tutorial (Using the Naked Palette)

Today I bring you a second video in my Naked Palette tutorial series! You can watch the first video here, in which I tutorialize you (ha) on a daytime smoky eye!

I'm a huge fan of a smoky eye. I especially love an evening look. I think it looks great with my huge prominent eyes, and really any other eye shape if done correctly.

The key with this tutorial is that you blend and you make sure that the darkest of shadows are in the outer corners of your eyes. The shadow is supposed to look like it diffuses out, like smoke. Hence smoky eye. Watch and learn. And if you catch my early 90s TLC reference, you get a cookie.



How do you do a smoky eye? Leave me your tips in the comments!
Also, if you would like me to do a specific tutorial, please let me know and I will see if I can work my magic!

Beauty for Real Light Up Lipgloss Review + Giveaway

One of my lovely sponsors, Justina, contacted me to review a product and help host a giveaway with her! Not only was I going to get to play with a fun lipgloss, but today she is giving away 25 of them! Yep, that's right!

So, what's this product, you ask? It's the Beauty for Real Light up Lip Gloss. This is the shade "Kiss Me."The lip gloss is described as:

"It's loaded with PLANT DERIVED antioxidants like green tea and grape seed extracts to deliver outstanding regenerative properties and ANTI-AGING capabilities, as well as aloe vera and avocado oil which are full of essential vitamins, are antibacterial and highly emollient. Our light up lip gloss has a super moist, silky feel on the lips, it's LIGHTWEIGHT, comfortable, not sticky or tacky, yet is long wearing. They contain a groundbreaking lip plumper which feels COOL and REFRESHING when applied. Marine collagen infuses lips with plumping benefits, leaving lips FULL and LUSCIOUS. We have created a super high tech package with a convenient mirror on the bottle and an LED light in the lid that illuminates lips when applying, for an easy, PERFECT APPLICATION on the go! LED lights are easily turned on and off with the button on the lid and can also be used as a mini flashlight in your handbag, at a dim lit restaurant or in your car!" -via

I've never heard of Beauty For Real before this, and upon some research, this is a company that doesn't sell tons of different products, but rather focuses on a few and packaging them in a way that is fun and utilizing technology. They claim to have a "straightforward, modern approach" to beauty. I actually appreciated the fact that it was key products that they focus on.

So, why "light up lipgloss"? Well, my friends, it actually has LED lights in the applicator! Check it out! I dimmed the lights so you could see it well.

And then there's a mirror on the packaging which makes the lip gloss super convenient to apply anywhere. While I am not much of a "going out at night" kind of gal (sometimes having a little baby can limit that kind of activity), I really think it would be great for those kinds of things!

At first I really thought this product was going to be very "gimmicky", and the light would be a bit unnecessary. But the more I used it the more I started to love it, especially in dimly lit areas. And it's quite a conversation starter. Everyone who I've showed this to has been like "Wow! That's awesome! Where'd you get that?!"

Oh, hello there, lips. That's a close up. Whoa. Anyway, I love the color of the gloss. I love the tingly-mint plumping properties. And it's truly a great gloss. It's not super duper shiny (as you can probably tell), which I like, and not very sticky. It's pretty much everything I look for in a lip gloss, and then some. It retails for $22, but I have seen lip glosses that are at the same price point that don't have cool LED lights, so there. Neener neener.

So have I sold you yet? Because 25 of you can win one! Yep, that's right! 25!! The company is requiring an email address to sign you up for their newsletter, but that's easy to opt out of if you do not care to continue it. Enter below using the Rafflecopter widget.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

One last thing before you go! I am still running a 25% off all my ads with promo code "onthego" over on my advertising page. I have some pretty impressive stats (coughcough1,500pageviewsadaycoughcough), so you would be silly not to book one at my bargain price!

My Little Fashionista

This blogging world can be so small! It's unbelievable. Greg and I joined a bible study in September, and we have had a blast getting to know our small group. And what do you know? One of the awesome girls, Chelsea, in the group is a blogger (visit her blog here: rootsandrings.com)!!! She also works for an amazing online company called the Hair Bow Company.

The Hair Bow Company specializes in accessories and clothing items for babies and young girls at extremely affordable prices. They sell all of their items at wholesale prices, which keeps the prices very low for the customer. And let me tell you, they have some amazingly cute stuff! Like this (glitter ballerina slippers for only $4.59?!), this (a crochet headband for only $2.99!), this (oh em gee, a bikini romper for $12.99)... and oh, this (a petti flower tank top for $9.99!!!).

Chelsea graciously offered to give me some things for Kennedy to review, and she spoiled me beyond belief! This review has been a long time coming. Look at what she gave us!

All of the items feel of really high quality. The clothing items are super soft and durable feeling, and the hair items are put together well. We only had one instance where Kennedy was able to pull one clip apart (not pictured because I wasn't able to fix it), but I swear she had some Hulk-like strength come over her body. She has also destroyed some other hair stuff in the past so this isn't a reflection of the durability of the ones from the Hair Bow Company.

I previously mentioned that Kennedy wore that vintage tulle headband for her birthday party. Here's a picture again, because it was just so darn cute.

But of course, we had to have a modeling session, because you have to see how stinking cute this girl is in her goodies. She actually loves getting dressed (she never wants to be naked) and I swear she knows it when she looks cute. So perhaps this is why she was such a good model.

This heart petti top is so perfect for Valentine's Day! I paired it with some simple grey leggings and her new big girl Keds! This would be great for a casual day and for play wear. And oh my goodness, sweet girl's hair is long enough for me to clip that precious korker hair bow in (granted she isn't great lately with keeping bows in her hair)! I think she's ready to be a fashion blogger. Look at those poses!

How precious is this leopard print petti skirt?! It screams glamour girl!  I  think it's perfect for special occasions and photo opportunities! I like also that it will fit Kennedy a long time (I think the elastic is stretchy enough) And of course the headband is just a perfect match!

Girl moms, get yourself over to the Hair Bow Company immediately and grab some of those precious items!

What do you think of my little fashionista?

January Beauty Favorites

Can we believe we're already in February? How 'bout that Super Bowl, eh? Okay, I didn't really watch it except for Beyonce. And the lights going out.

Anyway, so the beginning of the month also brings you my monthly beauty favorites! This past month is kind of random. There are actually less makeup on there than normal.  This is kind of strange, but I haven't bought much makeup lately. Here's what I've been loving and using a lot in January!

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

ORLY BONDER BASECOAT
I don't think I've used a better base coat for nail polish. It's rubberized, so your polish is supposed to adhere to it better. And by golly, it does. I usually have all of my polished peeled off within just a few days, and with this stuff, it really stays put! Seche Vite (my preferred top coat) has a tendency to peel, but it definitely stays put with the Orly Bonder. You can get it at Ulta (that's where I got mine) or Sally's.

WET 'N WILD BLUSH - MELLOW WINE
I don't think I own a blush in anything like this color. It is super duper pigmented, the color is beautiful (it's not quite plum, it's not quite burgundy - I find it has more red than purple). A little goes a long way.  It was $3. Sold. Wet 'n Wild, you really can do no wrong lately.

BEAUTY FOR REAL LIGHT UP LIPGLOSS - KISS ME
I've got a full review and giveaway of this coming up this week for you guys! It's the neatest little lipgloss I've ever used. I actually really like the formula and the color. I've been reaching for it a lot. But you'll just have to stay tuned to see what all I like and how you can win one for yourself!

GARNIER MOISTURE RESCUE REFRESHING GEL CREAM
I actually picked this up because I forgot both my daytime and night time moisturizer when we went to go visit my inlaws. I ran to the Walgreens nearby, and got this because I seemed to remember reading a few good reviews on it and I wanted something without SPF so I could wear it at night and during the day. Holy moly, this stuff is so great. I've actually been using this a lot at night, and it has been great for winter months for me. I have pretty oily skin, so the gel consistency of this moisturizer is perfect. It rubs in, is not greasy at all, and does not oil up on me whatsoever. If you are oil-prone, you seriously need to grab you some.

SKIN MD NATURAL SHIELDING LOTION W/ SPF 15
I believe I saw a beauty vlogger ranting and raving about all things Skin MD. I read more reviews and I just couldn't resist myself anymore, I had to get it (I ordered it on Amazon... I have no idea where you can buy it in a brick and mortar store). I decided to get the one with SPF, because I needed a daytime moisturizer. I don't know if it's because of this moisturizer or what, but I have seriously had hardly any breakouts at all since using this moisturizer. It's a shielding lotion, which means that it acts as a barrier between your skin and whatever products you put on top, as well as harmful elements (pollution, etc.). Apparently it does wonders for dry and sensitive skin (read more about it here). I love that it has mostly all-natural ingredients. The only thing is I do not like that it has a chemical sunscreen. I think I am willing to forgive that for how amazing this lotion is. I am going to get the original one and use it as hand cream every night! I can't wait. It seems kind of expensive for a small bottle but a little truly does go a long way.



There you have it! January favorites!

What have you been using and loving lately? 
Leave me suggestions so I can put in on my ever growing wish list!