Blue and yellow is an ok fellow 😕...I might need some help on the title.

Ok, I had a hard time coming up with some sort of catchy phrase for my title....so, unfortunately "Blue and yellow is an ok fellow" is kinda what we are going with.  😏

How have you been?  Is life just crazy for you?  I can't get past the fact that Caleb has only 6 weeks of school left until he's in the third grade....😭....I'm not happy about it, not one little bit.  I hate everyday that he grows older...it makes me cry.  But, as Caleb constantly reminds me...."mommy, I'll always be your little boy".  💓

So, how was your weekend?  Whew, mine was a whirlwind....again.  On Saturday we did quite a bit of fun stuff.  It rained all day long, so Caleb decided that even though it was in the 50s that he was bound and determined to play in the puddles.  Along with my little sis and her two girlies, we went to Michaels craft store.  They have these kid's crafts every Saturday, so we attended that.  They made a bunny out of a small flower pot, bunny glitter slime (I do NOT recommend), and then they sent them on a scavenger hunt throughout the store to find different items and bring back the list checked off for a prize.

Seriously, I know what they were doing with the scavenger hunt....I would have bought the entire store out, if I didn't have my wits about me.

This scavenger hunt sent us through the Easter decor and then we went through the home decor aisles....but, no Michaels...I know that ploy, you will NOT get me to buy that cute farmhouse sign decor....even if I did imagine how beautiful it would look in my kitchen and even though there were many tears after leaving empty handed....

I might be back there tomorrow...

Okie dokie, I am dipping back into my Rimmel Jewel Rocks pallet today.

Sometimes, I get caught up in doing the same thing....even as a beauty blogger who is always trying new things...this just sometimes happens.  With my crazy schedule right now, that's how it has been for me.  So today, I decided to go back to my easy but colorful look that I have come to really love, and I wanted to show you just how simple it is to create.

Most people do not think about yellow as being an eye shadow shade they are comfortable wearing.  I think it really depends upon the tone of yellow first and foremost, but it's also in the way its executed on the eyes that determine how the look comes out as well.  I did this yellow and blue look quite a while back and have since worn it several times over....it's so simple you will pinch yourself in disbelief.

So, let's hop to it...

First up I went in with the matte yellow shade from the pallet and swiped it all throughout my crease.  I went in with a couple coats to get the intensity I was looking for.  But you could do a light dusting if you are hesitant about a yellow eye look.

Next I used one color over, the yellowish golden shimmer, and swiped it all over my lid.

I think I might have said before, that you want to swipe these all the shimmers in the pallet, as opposed to patting, to get the best application.  Or you can use your finger or even a wet brush application.  They really work so well with those three application methods.  But patting it on will result in an overlay of shimmer and not too much color.

Next, I went in with a blue pencil liner, this one is by Loreal in Cobalt Blue, and I put it directly in my lower water line.

Then I used the blue color in the pallet and ran it along my lower lash line to smudge out the liner.

I finished up the eyes with black liquid liner on the top lash line and a few coats of mascara and moved on to the face.

I decided to go easy on the cheeks with the blush and went for the very neutral Bellisimo Bronze from Milani.

Then I used Maybelline's Clay Crush matte lipstick on my lips, and topped it with Milani's Lip Plumping Gloss in Prismatic Peach (BTW:  No, this does not plump my lips, I'm pretty sure it's just an optical illusion, LOL)

I love the way the look turned out....I thought it was a fun and easy look to create and to be perfectly honest, it's not a look that I feel is way extreme or "in your face kind" of look.  It's a subtle colorful look....at least that is my thought on it.

So that's all I have for today....we are picking up part of Caleb's first communion suit today...the jacket has to be altered still, but it will be ready next week.  I swear that was the biggest fiasco I think I had ever been in when it came to clothes shopping.  We went to five different stores and I am pretty sure I was shedding tears in each and every dressing room we were in.

I'm so happy to have remembered the Men's Warehouse, and their assistant manager, Jonathan was there to help me out.  I spent more than I had been hoping for....um, by quite a bit, but fortunately we did have the money for it, and I am getting what I want, Caleb is getting fitted exactly for it, and it will all be ready by May 2nd like we need.  So, NO MORE TEARS!!!  Yay!!

Well, that's all I have for today, I hope you enjoyed and will come back and visit me here again at 523!! I will talk to you all again, really soon.

Until next time, take care!

-Kim

A Lazy Day....the 523 Way!! 😄

It's been a total whirlwind of stuff here at 523....as I spoke about on my last post, the house is a wreck, Easter is only a week away, school commitments and first communion are all sweeping in and must be assessed, planned and then executed.  There are just few (and I mean a VERY FEW) hours or if I'm lucky half a day to just veg out and do nothing, lately.  You have seen the blog....I used to post upwards of nearly 5 times per week, then just two and now all you hear from me are crickets.  So, I'm a busy girl...that's the point I'm getting at.  But for the rare occasion that I get to stay at home and not do a darn thing, I wanted to show you my makeup look for those special times.

While I am one who is going to STILL apply makeup, even if I don't leave my couch for the weekend.  And just for reference, yes, I have actually asked Caleb to "run to mommy's makeup room and grab the stuff on the table" and then proceed to apply my makeup from my couch.....shameful, I know.  

BUT, that was only once and it was a long time ago....but anyhow, the reason for my ramble is that even if I don't leave the house, I will still apply a little makeup to brighten up my face a bit.  Let's keep this real...I had the flu and still put on makeup just to stay at home.  There's some definite issues that I should really address about my infatuation of makeup, but that's only if I "accept" there's an issue...I'm still in denial so I frankly think I'm ok. 😉

Again, I'm getting caught up in my rambles....so I apply makeup everyday no matter what.  The reason?  I don't want to walk by a mirror and scare myself, so I do what I can to make sure I feel good about what I see in the mirror.  So, today what I'm going to show you is my "lazy day, 523 way" of makeup....I hope you enjoy.

I will most definitely forgo the liquid liner on days like these....I love the look of it, but sometimes you just gotta make sacrifices in the name of simplicity.

Oh, one more thing....you will see a huge mess of toys in the background...please pay no attention....Caleb's toy room moved into the makeup room until the flooring is done.   😖

Ok, well I will always start out with making sure I have either foundation or a BB cream.  Then I will set it all in place with powder and then fill in my eyebrows.  These two steps are crucial to me feeling my best.

Next I grab a bronzer, for this day I used the Loreal Lumi Bronze It in Deep.  Go a bit easy on this because it's very pigmented and dark.

I will sweep the bronzer in and all throughout my crease of my eye. 

Next I will use the highlight shade on the eyelid and I also use it on my brow bone.  I used the Wet N Wild highlight bar in Earth.

Then I take a dark brown pencil and run it in my lower water line and smudge that out with the bronzer on the lower lash line.

I curled the lashes and topped them with a ton of mascara and moved on to the rest of the face.

I used the Lumi bronzer as my bronzer and then I popped the Neutrogena Get Cheeky Blush in Boys N Berry on my cheeks.....this is such a fresh and beautiful color for any skin tone.

For my lips I used the Milani gloss in Luminous....it was neutral enough, shiny enough and had just a hint of color for the look I was going for.

I put on my makeup shirt, threw my hair in a messy bun and then went to sit on the couch with Caleb where we watched movies and then of course we had to leave, we had to go to a birthday party.  I'm telling you, there is no rest for this girl....at least not until......hmmm, I think we might be free in June, perhaps. 

It's a crazy life, but it's my life and I truly love every crazy minute of it. 💓

Well, that's all I have for today...I hope you enjoyed and will come back and visit me again here at 523!!  I will see you all again really soon, so until next time, take care.

-Kim

What's been happening at 523?

Hi sweet friends!!

Where's my cape? 

I have been really absent from the blog these past couple weeks.  We have had some family things going on that had me all over the place, but then we really started in on the remodel of Caleb's playroom.  We dove in head first with replacing walls, painting walls, replacing electrical outlets and then finally replacing the flooring!!

I am so stinking excited to be replacing this flooring.  We are also going to do the living room and hallway but that will start right after Easter.  But I wanted to show you what fantastic work the hubs did on the flooring.

Caleb couldn't wait to play on it. :)

Didn't he do a stellar job?!  I am so ridiculously proud of how beautiful the floor looks and what a fantastic job Brad did.  I can't wait until it's time for the living room and hallway.  Caleb wants to do a birthday party at our house, so we have until July to get the rest done.  

So, I have a huge light at the end of my tunnel on my floors....a tunnel that has taken 15 years to get through!! 

Since I have been so non-existent on the blog, I wanted to at least pop on here and tell you that all is well....but all is VERY busy.  :) 

We still have Caleb's First Communion to get ready for and of course Easter is always hectic.  I am really swamped with the PTA commitments at Caleb's school, my own school work and Caleb's schedule of stuff that we have to do for Cubscouts and birthday parties......

Whew!! I'm exhausted just thinking about all of the stuff going on here.  But I haven't forgot about my blog...at least not yet anyways.  But unfortunately for now I might have to be absent from it until all gets back in order.  

It's a crazy life, but a blessed life I have right now.  

So that's all I have for today.  Until next time, take care.

-Kim

What it means to me, no matter the size or money it makes

I'm in a rambling sort of mood today, so lookout.

While reading comments and scrolling through blog post ideas, I got to thinking about why I blog and why I write what I do.  I thought that I'd give you another little glimpse into this madness of a mind I have and get to know me a little better.  I hope you enjoy.

photo

I am sure I have said it before and if not, I'll say it again....I am the "pink sheep" of the family.  I say that because pink is my favorite color and because I'm a little different than the siblings in my family.  I am not by any means an outcast from them, I'm just more of a complete opposite of the other three siblings I have.  That's where my blog comes into play.

For a little background, I have always loved to write.  The act of writing, whether it be in a journal, writing my own "self help" book (that no one will ever see), a blog post, or even just writing "to do" notes in my planner, I love it all.  I love the smell of the paper and the clicks of the keys pouncing on my keyboard.  The words in black in white typed all over the screen or the colorful affirmations written all over white paper.  I just love to write, but it was mostly for myself that I did the writing.

However, writing where others see it comes with a certain sense of needing to "provide" for others.  My blog, while is my own personal outlet, it's also I place I want to inspire people to live a rich life.  I want to provide to others the inspiration and faith in knowing that you don't need to have a ton of money to live a rich life.  You can have a home you love to be in, a look you are confident wearing and life you are happy living, all while keeping within a small budget.  I know this because that is my very life. 

Another reason for my blog, is that this is the place that I can be me.  And if a person doesn't like it, they are free to stop mid sentence and click away.  They don't have to endure my endless spouts of affordable beauty and makeup and non-stop of how much I love my boys.  This is where my siblings, and truth be told, all of my friends get the benefit of my blog.  LOL

I had come to the very conclusion that NO ONE in my family or circle of friends like to talk about makeup, beauty or shopping of any kind and I'm pretty sure they are tired of my constant talking and picture showing of my son and hubby.  They had to listen to my excitement of a new foundation I stumbled upon, or that my son got awesome grades, all with keeping a straight face and not once allowing their eyes roll to the back of their heads.  They don't have the big "X" in the top right hand corner of the screen to click and make me go away.  :)   I'm grateful for them always listening and being there for me.

But, this blog is my place to spill out all that I love and not have to punish my friends and family with my babble.  But also a place where I can hopefully inspire someone to work with what you have and make it great!! And if I can do that to just one person, well then that means more to me than any amount of money that could be given. 

This is where you see me and all that I love to do, have and be.  And I am truly grateful for that.

So that's my story.  What does YOUR blog do for you?  Why did you start it? What were your goals for it?  Let me know your thoughts.  On a side note, does anyone else LOVE the smell of paper planners?  Does anyone want to lie to me and say they do, just so I don't feel like the crazy person?

Well, that's all I got for today.  I hope it was enjoyable or inspiring, or in the least bit, entertaining.  But I thank you for reading all the way through if you did, and I will be back again really soon. Until next time, take care.

-Kim

Revlon Color Stay Full Cover Matte Foundation Review - Did it make the grade?

Hi everyone!! Happy Friday!!

It's a busy weekend here at 523....we have our new flooring coming in later this afternoon, so hopefully the hubby is finishing the painting in Caleb's playroom for that.  We are choosing to lay the hardwood ourselves.  I'm not sure how smart of a choice that is.  But, being that it will save us over $3000 USD to do it ourselves, I'm at least going to try.  While I have been waiting to have this flooring for many years and I'm excited to finally get it...that doesn't stop the dread that I feel from actually doing the work ourselves.  I don't like home repairs, I don't like to paint, I'm not a DIY'er type of girl.  I just like the end result and the amount of money it saves when you do it yourself. I know that sounds awful of me, but hey, I'm gonna keep it real here.  In fact last night when Brad was working on the flooring prep, I did all I could to keep myself busy with the dishes, laundry and getting Caleb ready for bed, just so I didn't have to help with the floor.  I figured it was ok, since I was washing Brad's clothes....that makes it ok, right?

Here's Caleb playing around in what is supposed to be his playroom but is partially dismantled.  We do have all of the carpet and the padding pulled up and glue all removed. 

So, let's talk makeup, because flooring bores me so....

Today I wanted to bring you a review of the Revlon Color Stay Full Cover Matte Foundation.

First up, I didn't like this foundation from the beginning...in fact because I didn't care for it at all, I went online looking for any sort of helpful tips or tricks to make it either better, or show me how to use it correctly, because it looked way too bad for this to be right.

Sadly, there was no help.  So, I still don't like this foundation.  What sucks about this situation, is that I promised myself that I'd use up all of my drugstore foundations all the way, before buying any other....now I have to force myself to use up this one.

Sometimes I think I am my own worse enemy.

So the Revlon Color Stay Full Cover foundation runs about $13-$15 USD and comes in 16 colors.  The texture is very mousse like...it is just like a chocolate mousse you would get as a dessert.

Below are the claims:

Revlon ColorStay Full Cover Foundation, for matte coverage that lasts up to 24 hours. Doesn't look cakey or feel heavy.

Benefits:

• Full coverage, lasts up to 24 hours
• Flawless matte without looking cakey or dry
• Lightweight, blends seamlessly
• Time release technology balances skin for a continuously fresh look
• Shine-free formula made with water, not oil

I do not find any sort of full coverage out of this foundation on my skin.  I still had to go in with a concealer to finish up the redness on and around my nose and the darkness under my eyes.  The original Revlon Color Stay foundation will cover all of this without having to use a concealer.  And I will always deduct points for a claim of "last up to 24 hours"....that's just baloney. :)

(in this photo above the arrows point to the redness and dry patch on my chin, the discoloration under my eye that wasn't covered and the cakey-ness in my forehead)

Full Cover Grade: F

This foundation looked instantly cakey on my face when I applied and settled into fine lines, pores and the creases around my nose.  I have very oily skin, but for some reason this foundation found a dry patch and brought it to life some how.  That was something I had never had before....so it was definitely odd.

(in the photo above, you will see it sinking into every nook and cranny of my face)

Flawless, Non-cakey or Dry Looking: F

The blending wasn't too horrible, but it does stand room for improvement.  I felt it blended better with a brush than a sponge, but it still looked kind of funny with either, or.  The brush seemed to leave streaks in it, no matter which type of brush I used, and the sponge just made the foundation sink even further into my pores.....which was none too pretty.

Blending:  D

Lastly it claims a shine free formula made with water not oil.  I will give the "ok" to this claim.  It actually does help keep me matte for a good portion of the day.  I notice oil breakthrough around the 8 hour mark.  So that's a very good standing with me and my oily skin.  Most foundations usually make it to the 6 hour mark.  The original Color Stay will go the 8 hours on my skin but most other drugstore foundations won't last quite that.

Shine Free:  A

However, when the breakdown starts with this foundation, it really goes quick and looks patchy and gross.  I have been taking off my makeup as soon as I get home on the days I have worn this foundation just because the look of it is so bothersome to me.

All Day Fresh Looking:  C


So, what's the final grade for the Revlon Color Stay Foundation?

Eeek...the final grade is "D"

I can't say I'm surprised.  It has been an utter disaster wearing this foundation.  I would think that someone who likes the whipped formula foundations, might get along good with this one.  Or if you are one who can use the liquid / powder foundation (you know those ones in the compact?) you might really enjoy this one.  I cannot wear those types....I think my skin is far from flawless to use those kind.

But surely there are skin types out there that this will work for.  As for me, that's all I got! I hope it was somewhat helpful for you and I hope to see you back again really soon here at 523.

Until next time, take care.

-Kim




Disclosure:  Some links may be affiliate links.  My thoughts and opinions are mine, the products were purchased by me and in no way does this link affect my judgement on the products mentioned.

Rimmel Jewel Rocks Pallet Tutorial #2 - Green Smoke

Happy Wednesday!! Is it Friday yet? LOL  It's been one of those weeks for me and its only the middle of the week.  Oh well, I'll get through it one way or another.

So, let's talk about the Jewel Rocks pallet from Rimmel. 

This pallet is actually quite nice.  I did a very easy coral look on Monday with this pallet, but I knew there was bigger potential to be had....and that's where I went into the bold and beautiful green color for today's look.


I was playing with my makeup last Saturday, so I went in with a few extra steps that I don't normally do during the weekdays, so you will get a glimpse of that today also.  I will warn you that on Saturdays, my makeup can get quite loud if I don't watch out.  :)

But I hope you enjoy, and let's hop to it.

The products I used were:
Rimmel Jewel Rocks Pallet
Rimmel Kajal Eye Liner in Emerald
Wet N Wild Highlight Bar in Earth
NYX Single Eye Shadow in I Have a Headache
NYX Black Liquid Liner in Vinyl Black
Loreal Paris Lash Paradise Mascara
Elf Mist and Set Setting Spray
Milani Corallina Blush
Loreal LaRouge Matte Lip Color in I Achieve

First up I used the kajal eyeliner and applied it all over my lid.  I'm not quite sure how I feel about this liner yet.  It did make for a nice base, and allowed me to get the deep dark green I wanted that the powder shadow alone wouldn't have given.  However, it takes a little while to dry down.

But anyways, I used it on my lid.  I then went into the matte coral color #7, and applied it through my crease.  You could do these two steps vice versa, but this was the way I went. 

 Next, I went into the deep green color #5, and patted it on top of the green liner and then blended it all up into the crease.  Do you see where it seems to smear the liner up a bit?  It was like it pulled it off my lid and transferred it to my crease.....very strange.  But I didn't give it any time to dry either, so that might have been the issue.  But then I picked up the color #1 on a flat brush, spritzed it with Elf setting spray (although water will work just fine) and then patted it in the middle of my lid.

I used the Wet N Wild Highlight bar in Earth and patted it on my inner tear duct.  Then I went in with a smaller crease brush and applied #7 again.  I felt as though I lost a bit with the green, and I wanted the coral color to peek out the top of the crease for some added dimension.

Next I used the NYX single shadow in I Have a Headache on my brow bone.....this is the PERFECT brow bone color for my skin tone.  I used the pencil in my lower water line.

Next I used a pencil brush and went in with color #5 and ran it along my lower lash line to smudge out the liner.  I then used the same pencil brush and picked up color #6 and ran it right on top of the color #5 on my lower lash line.  It allowed it to lighten the deep green and give it some sparkle. :)

Time for liner....yep, with a smokey eye, I typically love to use black liquid liner on my top lash line.  I used the Nyx Black Vinyl liner for this.  I used my Loreal Lash Paradise mascara, shockingly no false lashes today and then the eyes were done.

For the rest of my face I went in with Milani's Corallina blush, then used the Wet N Wild highlight bar in Earth for my cheek highlight, and then went with an orangey coral lip color.  This was the Loreal La Rouge in I Achieve.  Don't be scared of this color...yes I know it's orange, but it's BEAUTIFUL!!!!

And that's it!! What do you think?

I love doing green eye shadow looks on my green eyes.  I really feel it pulls the color out so well.  I just love this look so, so, much!! And I hope you do also!! :)

So, that's all I got for today, I hope you enjoyed...I want to play some more with the Rimmel pallet to come up with one other look for you.  After that I will do my review and let you know just what I think about this pallet in it's entirety.  So be on the lookout for those posts.

But for today, that's all I have.  I will be back again really soon.  So, until next time, take care!

-Kim

Disclosure:  Some links may be affiliate links.  My thoughts and opinions are mine, the products were purchased by me and in no way does this link affect my judgement on the products mentioned.

Rimmel Jewel Rocks Pallet - Soft and Easy Coral

Hi everyone, how are you on this beautiful Monday?  Spring break is over and I'm kinda glad.  It wasn't quite what we were planning but we made it work.  We basically fit all of our spring break activities into three days.  So that was exhausting.  But I'm glad to be back on our daily routine.  I work much better with my days all planned out for me.

So, today we are gonna do a really easy look using the Rimmel Jewel Rocks pallet.

I did this look right after I first bought the pallet and woke up late for work.  I didn't know what to do with it, so I just combined the shimmery coral and matte coral.  And then went into the lightest shimmer for a pop of brightness.

Surprisingly I got a lot of comments on the look!! I couldn't believe how nice it looked and how quick it was to create.  So today, that's what I'm gonna show off.  I hope you enjoy!

First up take the matte coral color and sweep it all through your crease.  Then take the shimmer coral color and swipe it on your lid.  These shimmers work really well when you pick up the color and swipe it across as opposed to patting it on the eye.  They are incredible when applied wet, just a FYI.

Next I went in with the lightest color in the pallet and swiped with my finger over my lid and then applied some in the inner tear duct.

Last I used the matte coral and ran it along the lower lash line and applied a few coats of mascara and the eye look is done.

For my lips I used Revlon HD Matte Lipcolor in Flare and my blush was the Milani's Bellisimo Bronze blush

And there you have it....a simple, easy, soft coral look.

Well, that's about all the time I have for today.  I hope you enjoyed the easy tutorial and will try it out for yourself.  But today that's all I got.  I will see you all again really soon.  Until next time, take care.

-Kim

Disclosure:  Some links may be affiliate links.  My thoughts and opinions are mine, the products were purchased by me and in no way does this link affect my judgement on the products mentioned.