Maybelline Diamond Dust - Tutorial #2

Hello and happy "hump day"!  It is a dreary one here in North Texas.  It's nasty, rainy, dark and cold today and it just makes me feel tired.  Of course, I might also be tired because Caleb and I stayed up until 10 PM last night finishing off The Wizard of Oz book.  We called it a "literary crime" to stay up that late reading a classic, but I just wasn't watching the clock, in all reality.  So Caleb and I are both dragging around today.

So, today I am going to do another look using the Maybelline City Mini pallet in Diamond Dust.  I really wanted to use the deep teal color in the outer corner, so I created a look all around making that area deep and teal.  I hope you enjoy.

First up, you will see that I am using blotting sheets under my eyes.  This is because the pallet is very soft and has a tremendous amount of fallout.  So either use some sort of shadow shield or wait and do your foundation after your eyes.

I wanted to start out with my crease and the teal, but I wanted to keep it very light at first.  So I used fluffy brush to swipe the teal color (6) throughout my crease.  I used a very small wispy brush and ran the light gray color (5) just along the edges of the teal.  I did this so I wound't have a very harsh teal line in my crease.  (You could start out with color 5 and run it through your upper crease first and then go in with the teal to get the same effect if you don't have the wispy brush.)

Next on a flat brush I went in with the beautiful shimmer color (4) and packed it all over my lid.  You can amplify it a bit more if you use a bit of setting spray on the brush.   That's also what I did to get the deeper teal color in my outer V.  I got some of the color (6) on my brush, spritzed it with setting spray and then packed it on my outer V and blended it over towards the crease.

I lined my lower water line with brown pencil liner and smudged it out with the teal color (6) on a pencil brush on my lower lash line.

I did black liquid liner on my top lash line, applied mascara and my eyes were done.  I next used the Hard Candy Fox in a Box Blush in Girl Boss and for my lips I used the Loreal LaRouge in I Rebel. 

I think the look really turned out quite pretty.  I love the teal color and how it's not some wild and out there color, but a lot more fun than a neutral brown too.  It has a nice, edgy twist to the look.

So, that's all I have for today, I hope you found it helpful and enjoyed it as well.  I will see you all again really soon.  Until next time, take care.

-Kim

A Little More About Me - Favorite Holiday and Why?

Hi everyone!! I'm so happy to have you here today.  It's a great day for me, I finally finished that stupid Ecology paper.  It only took me three weeks to complete (she said with heavy sarcasm).

So, how was your weekend?  We had a birthday party to attend this weekend.  It was one of Caleb's close friend's party and it was had at the trampoline park.  If you ever want to exhaust your children, just let them run free at a trampoline park.  I wonder why they never had places like this when I was growing up.....

Anyhoo, let's talk about me!!  Isn't that some sort of Toby Keith song?  I love doing posts like these, LOL.  But seriously, I love giving you glimpses into this madness of a mind I have.  I like showing off my family and our life, so that's somewhat of today's post is.

I was reading a lifestyle blog not too long ago and there was a list of 101 things to blog about.  One of them was "What is your favorite holiday and why?"

Here's where the madness comes in....I can't name just one favorite holiday.  It's not that simple for me.  I have reasons why I love many of the holidays.  So, I thought I'd showcase the ones I love here.  I hope you enjoy.

Let's start out with New Years Eve / New Years Day:

We aren't the big party goers......anymore.  I completed a good portion of my partying days while I was still in high school.  That's a whole other post in itself, that I am not quite sure I want to expose yet.  So, fast forward 20 something years later.....for New Year's Eve, the majority of the time we go out to my best friend, Crystal and her husband Brian's house and we play pool, ride the UTV, play cornhole and just hang out with them and a bunch of their neighbors.  They are a fun group of people!!

They live way out in the country so we are able to light bon fires and do fireworks.....my favorite thing to do is to ride around in the UTV through all the the wooded areas on their land.  We really have a wonderful time with them.  This is not the only time we go to their house, but this is the time that we stay extra later and have a little extra fun. 

New Years Day is when the new calendars come in!!!! Fun fact:  I LOVE NEW CALENDARS!!  But that's the only reason I like New Year's Day. :)

So, there's January.  Now on to February's holiday.  How can I not love Valentines Day?  The hubs and I have been married 16 years just this past valentines.

Most people joke and say that I chose that date because I didn't want Brad to forget our anniversary....but in reality, NO ONE forgets our wedding.  Many of the people who attended our wedding have no clue when they got married, but they do remember ours. :)  I have this little old lady from church and she still comes up to me and tells me how much fun she had at our wedding.  I'm pretty sure it was the party of the year in 2003.

I don't care much for St. Patricks day.  I am not Irish, I don't like pinching people for not wearing green and so we aren't going to get into that holiday.  In fact I never remember when it actually is.

Easter!!! This usually comes in April.  I used to not care for Easter, but we started having this family gathering with family and friends at our home and I have now just fell in love with the holiday.  It's a lot of work, because our families are so big, but its a lot of fun to have everyone over.  I finally felt like a grown up after I started hosting a holiday at my house...is that strange?  Well, it sounds strange to say.

Another fun fact:  Caleb loves having people over to his house for the holidays.   He does get a little nervous having 10 kids playing with all of his toys, but he still loves them all to be at our home.

July 4th...this one is truly special to me.  You see, the year Caleb was born (July 12, 2010) I was in the hospital just waiting to have him on the 4th of July.  I remember going out on the glass bridge of the hospital that night and standing with Brad, watching the fireworks go off at the North Texas College campus.  It was a difficult holiday because I had been in the hospital since June 25th by then...but I knew it wouldn't be long until Caleb was in my arms.

And of course my little bundle of joy came on the 12th of July.  Words can't come close to describing how much love I have for this little ball of fire in my life.  And I ALWAYS take a trip down memory lane when Caleb's birthday rolls around.

So, love me some July!!  October....now this is where this post get tough.... Halloween used to be my favorite holiday.  Now that I have Caleb, I really love so many more of the holidays.

But if I was to pick just one, I'd say the month of October.  I know, I know, I've got some 'splaining to do..

Ok, so I love Halloween....its one of the more affordable holidays and you can buy like 10 bags of Snickers at once and no one will look at you funny in the store.  I love trick or treating as a kid.  I would always go in my neighborhood with my best friend, Amber, each year.  I love taking Caleb out just as much!!

So, why do I love the month so much?  Well, it starts to cool off here in Texas....and that is one huge lifesaver.  It's the perfect weather for camping here in Texas, I love the fall clothing that comes out in October, it's pumpkin spice colored and flavored everything as well.  I love Halloween, as we just discussed, but one of the best things about October is because it's Breast Cancer Awareness month.  We have had family members suffer from breast cancer and I support anything I can for this cause.  I love how companies will take everything and splash it with the color pink and use the proceeds towards cancer treatments and research.

Pumpkin spice, cool weather, bags of snickers, camping, pink stuff, and helping special causes.  October is my month!!!!

Thanksgiving!!
Really?! Who doesn't like to stuff their bellies to the brim one day a year?  Um, I do...

Thanksgiving will always hold a special place in my heart that stems from my childhood.  I would always wake up excited because I knew my grandparents would make the 2 hour drive (with their camper in tow) and arrive bright and early Thanksgiving morning.  Then they'd stay the night and we'd stay up with them playing Wahoo (a game from my childhood, played like Chinese Checkers).  It was when I knew that when i grew up I'd also have a holiday at my house where my children's grandparents would come over....(for us that is Easter).

Christmas:  Oddly enough, I never cared for Christmas growing up.  There always seemed to be tension in the house before and on Christmas Eve...it would always end by Christmas morning, but I grew to dislike the holiday.  It wasn't any better when I moved out.  It almost got worse.  On Christmas Eve (after working half a day) Brad and I would go to one grandparent's house, then to my mom's and then to Brad's family's home and get home sometime after midnight and have to wake up early to visit two more grandparents houses.  We just barely had enough time for our own Christmas Eve together. 

HOWEVER, Brad knew my dislike for Christmas Eve, and he planned a very special Christmas Eve in 2001 when he proposed, with just the two of us at home....of course that happiness was short lived because we had to rush off to the next family's house.

While the proposal was the most special Christmas Eve I have ever had, after Caleb came along, our holiday had a purpose to it.  Christmas can be stressful financially for us....we don't have a ton of money to spend, but enough to make it special and filled with magic.  Of course this really started to become easier when started saving money for Christmas in January....that's the key to doing it right, start saving early!

So, anyways, now that Caleb is here, we don't just celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day...nope, we start things off the day after Thanksgiving.  This is what I call a "mommy and me" day.  Brad always has to work the day after, and since he doesn't like the tree decorating and such, Caleb and I use this day to do just that.

 
We string popcorn, bake cookies, have peppermint hot chocolate and decorate the tree.  We finally plop on the couch and watch tons of Christmas cartoons.  Christmas Eve is celebrated at our home with JUST Brad, Caleb and myself. 

 

We go ice skating with my BFF and her son, we go look at Christmas lights and go to the live nativity.  And of course we wrap it all up with Santa on Christmas day.  We do go and visit family and all, but we have paired it down a bit.  One year we will go to Thanksgiving and one side of the family and then Christmas on the other side.  Then the next year we switch.  It's a lot less stressful for us and saving early makes it financially a bit easier, and the fact that we do things together as a family takes away all the attention that Santa and Christmas Eve gets.  So I think we have finally figured out how to do Christmas the right way.....at least for us that is.  :)

Well, that's all I have for today.  I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my world.  I will see you all again really soon.  Until next time, take care.

-Kim

Loreal Rouge Signature Lasting Matte Liquid Lipstick - Does it make the grade?

Happy Friday!!

I have been having such fun playing with my stocks this week!! If you saw my post on Wednesday, you will have read that I started investing in the stock market.  And not for retirement, though I do have an investment retirement account too, but this is for a possible supplemental income.  I have no clue just what I am doing just yet, but I am learning a lot and loving it even more!!

Okie dokie, today we are going to talk about Loreal's new lip product they have out.  It's called the Loreal Rouge Signature Lasting Matte Liquid Lipstick.  That's quite a mouthful to say, LOL.  I found mine at Walmart for $9.97 each.

Ok, let's talk about the claims.

Ultra Comfortable Liquid Lipstick:  Yes, this is the most comfortable wearing liquid lipstick.  I most definitely give this an "A"

Dyes your lips for a lasting color:  Yes, this does dye your lips.  Dye is such a scary word....let's say it is a "semi-staining" on your lips.  However, this only comes with the dark colors.  The lightest nude color, I do not see any sort of stain on my lips.  But since the range is mostly deeper and vibrant colors, I went ahead and gave it a grade of "A"

Less texture, more color:  Yes again!! There is so very little texture with these liquid lipsticks.  No flaky, gross-ness is had with these.  AND you can apply more than one layer and even re-apply mid day.  I give this one an "A" also.

Let's talk about the staying power.  It states it has a "lasting matte color".  Yes the color is matte, and it does last.  But it does wear off around the 6 hour mark.  Although, this is the vibrant color you when first applied that wears off....not the stain.  The stain will stay around until about the 8-9 hour mark.  I again, give this claim an "A".

There are 12 colors total....at the time of me taking the photos (which was at 5:30 this morning) I only had 3 colors.  BUT, I made a pit stop on the way to work and grabbed two more colors.  I'll be using them in upcoming tutorials so I'll show them off then. 

But the three I have are "I Empower", "I Rebel" and "I Represent" and you will see them from left to right in the photos below.



So, 12 colors total....I kind of wish there were more.  This is such a fantastic lip product that I really would like to see more colors come out.  But I will just work with what I have for now. 

Some of my own personal thoughts on these are that I love how light and liquid they are.  So they can built up to a full opacity or they can actually be somewhat sheer if you want as well.  I love that they can be layered.  I think that is really a fantastic option with these because most liquid lipsticks can't do that without feeling cakey and crumbly.

The overall grade is an "A" and for me I can definitely see why.  I am going to collect all of the colors with maybe the exception of the dark brown color...I'm not 100% sure of that one yet.

But I do recommend this lipstick.  I think it's a great product and I feel that for people who do not like liquid lipsticks or feel they are too uncomfortable, this is really the product to tryout. 

Well, that's all I have for today.  I hope it was helpful and informative.  I will be back again next week with more, I hope you come back and visit me then.  Until next time, take care.

-Kim

Maybelline City Mini Pallet in Diamond Dust - Tutorial #1

Happy Wednesday!!

How are you today?  I am doing really well.  Caleb and I have plans to go to the park after school today and let him run his little heart out with a bunch of random kids....he's super excited!! :)

I, on the other hand am jumping head first back into my Ecology class and I will finally finish this stupid paper on the wind patterns and the heating of the Earth.  I took a much longer break than need be after my grandmother's death and I need to get this finished soon so I can continue on.  So while Caleb is playing I will be writing. 

I woke up pretty excited today...and it wasn't because of makeup either....LOL  Shocker, I know.  I started dabbling around with stocks in my retirement account the past several months.  I have a couple stocks that I have been heavily playing around with lately and actually started to make a somewhat decent payoff with them.  But, with this type of investment account I have, I cannot use the money until I am 60 years old....I am far from that age.  Something I realized was that I have a lot of fun playing with these little stocks, so I decided to open up a regular investment account.  I have only started out with a very little amount of money, so its not something that we will lose our house over.  But, I woke up this morning knowing that the account would be open and ready to trade stocks with today and I just got really excited about it.  So there's you a fun fact about me today.  Stocks excite me.

Ok, let's talk makeup.

I found ANOTHER Maybelline City Mini pallet at the store the other day and snatched it right up.  So today, I am bringing you a look I created with it.  It's a really easy look....I only used one shadow from it.  But this one shadow is so gorgeous on it's own.

So, lets start....first up you want to take the shimmery color.  And pat it on you lid....next with a fluffy brush, sweep the color through the crease.  Lastly on a pencil brush, swipe the same color on your lower lash line. 

I put black liquid liner on my top lash line and then many coats of mascara.  I used Hard Candy's Fox in a Box blush in Girl Boss and for my lips I used the Loreal Gold Crush lipstick in Rose Gold.

And that was all there was to the the look...what do you think?  Easy right?

I love super simple looks like these.  If you don't want to use black liquid liner, then you can skip it and go with a more neutral look.  I think a very dark purple lip would look fantastic with this eye look.  But I wanted to keep it neutral.

Well, I think that's all I have for today.  It was short and sweet....just like my sweet baby Caleb.

So, I guess I will see you all again really soon.  Until next time, take care.

-Kim

Family Favorite from Paula Deen - Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

This weekend we had Caleb's Cubscout Blue and Gold Banquet. 

He had lots of fun playing with his friends, receiving his hard earned awards, learning about lemurs and seeing waayyy too large for my personal comfort...tarantulas. 

We all had to bring a dish to share of food from our culture.  I brought German sausage which is from a German meat market, not too far from our home town.  This sausage is something that is sought after during all the family gatherings at Brad's family. 

Another dish I brought was the Paula Dean's Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding.  This has been my family's and Brad's family favorite for a very long time as well.   I make this multiple times per year and on holidays where my sister's husband and children come, I typically make them a batch to take home with them because they love it so much.

Today I wanted to bring you the recipe and show you just how easy it is to prepare it.  I hope you try it out and enjoy it just as much as our family does.

You can view the recipe on Paula Deen's website here.

I will always give credit where it's due and my gosh does Paula EVER deserve the credit for this dish!!

So here's just what you need:

1 - 12oz tub of Cool Whip (this will be the freezer section, but when you bring it home, put it in the refrigerator)
1 - 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk....make sure you get the "sweetened"
1 - 8oz bar of cream cheese
2 - cups of milk
1 - 5oz box of vanilla INSTANT pudding / pie filling (do NOT get the "cook" kind, make sure it says "instant")
6 - bananas....you can use more or less...I find that 6 works perfectly for us, however I see people use only 4 and some use 8
2 - bags of Chessman cookies....these are made by Pepperidge Farm and are in the stand up bags

Directions:

The first thing I do is I separate out my cookies....there are bound to be some that are broken so I get those out.

Next thing I do...because I have issues....is I get out five of the shapes and make sure to have four cookies of each shape (as you see below) and set these aside,  these will be the topping at the end.

Slice up your bananas.

Lay the other cookies on the bottom of a 13x9 pan and then top cookies with sliced bananas.

In large bowl, combine milk and pudding.

In another bowl combine cream cheese (I like to cut the cream cheese up in little blocks, it makes it easier to mix) and condensed milk, using an electric mixer, beat until smooth

Mix pudding and cream cheese and condensed mixture together.

Next, drop a cookie to Scooby...he wouldn't move out from under my feet until I did.

Fold the Cool Whip into the pudding mixture until well blended.

Pour onto the cookies and bananas and then top with second bag of cookies (the ones we saved earlier), cover and put in refrigerator until time to serve.

This is best when it's had time to set in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.  It allows the cookies to get slightly soft.

Last, you will want to take the broken cookies and scrape the bowl....because licking the bowl clean wouldn't be polite.

But that's how you make this famous banana pudding.  Ours was eaten completely at the banquet and Brad had to work so he didn't get any of it.

I promised him I'd make him a batch this coming week.  So I'm going to go to the store tonight to get the stuff for it.

I hope you enjoyed today's post...its a little different than normal.  But I like sharing our real life with my followers just as much as I do the makeup stuff, so I hope you don't mind...I might bring a few more posts such as these in the near future.

But for today, that's all I got.  I will see you all again really soon with a makeup post featuring a new Maybelline City Mini pallet....yep I found yet another!! I'm excited because I really like the looks I have made so far with this little gem.

So, until next time, take care.

-Kim