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.

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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.

What are you wearing this Spring?

Hello and how are you on this beautiful Friday?  I'm now doing quite well....we just received news that my mom (who was rushed to the hospital yesterday) is doing much better.

So, what does your weekend plans hold for you?  I keep thinking that I am supposed to be doing something this weekend, but for the life of me, I can't remember what it is.  I surely hope it's not too important, because I will more than likely miss it.

Caleb and I have plans to go to the mall and spend some time together.  Barnes and Nobel has a book that is supposed to be in stock on Saturday.  It's the newest Bad Kitty book.  This is a series of small chapter books that Caleb adores, about a mischievous kitty.  I might pop into Bath and Body Works for some new home scents and I am sure that Caleb will want to wonder around the Lego store as well.

But those are our plans.  I suppose I could get into the post for today, huh?  Well, I have been doing some internet window shopping lately.  I saw a cousin of Brad's wearing this really cute, long, sheer kimono cardigan, not too long ago, and I thought it was such a beautiful spring look.  So I started my hunt for one.

Today, I wanted to show you which ones I thought were really beautiful and very affordable.

This leopard print kimono can be found on Amazon.  It's the perfect length and I love the print.  It's not so bold and in your face, leopard, it's more of a somewhat subtle leopard, and I really love that about this one.  I am not much for ripped jeans, but I would pair this with jeans rolled at the cuff and a white or black top, probably a tank top.  Although, wouldn't a deep red shirt look nice with too?

Ok, this next one is such a gorgeous one too!  It is a floral black kimono, also from Amazon.  I love the flowers on this one.  Again, it's a bold pattern, but not a slap you in the face bold.  It's stunning.  This one is on my top radar for now.  But I'm still deciding.

This next one is a touch different.  It's a long vest style kimono.  This one is so cute!! I love the blue color and the pop of flowers make this vest such a beautiful statement piece for Spring.  Don't you think?

This is one of the first ones I spotted...this sheer lace kimono is so pretty and very victorian era looking to me.  I love the lace on the bottom, but my absolute favorite part is the lace on the sleeves.  It gives it such a luxurious look to it.

This last kimono has the true kimono sleeves....they are very large and flowy.  This sheer floral print kimono has a beautiful subtle pattern of flowers on it, and the lighter sleeves takes this one a step up.

While all of these are under $35 USD each, I can't afford to get all of them so I will have to make a decision as to which one I can get.  I think I may go with this one.  I love the flowers, the length is near perfect and I really think it will look so beautiful.

What are you wearing for Spring?  Do you go with trendy pieces? Do you stick to mostly classics? Or do you mix it all up, like me?

I love affordable fashion, and while I know there are pieces that really need to be a quality piece of clothing, I also know what I can get in-expensively to accent my classics.  Well, I guess that's all I have for this week.  Let me know what you are wearing for Spring, I'd love to know!

But for now, that's all I got....I will be back again next week, 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.

3 Luxuries I wouldn't want to live without

Hi everyone, how are you on this beautiful but cold Wednesday?  I have a fun post today and I am super excited to bring to you.  Today I am showing off some of the luxury items that, while I COULD live without them, I really don't want to.

While I am an "all about drugstore" kind of girl, I do have my moments of wanting or just down right needing items that are far from the drugstore price.  In cases such as these, I will ask for items as Christmas gifts or use birthday money to purchase them with.  So these are not regular items I just go out and purchase because I want too or because I run out of.  These are items I save for special occasions.  I guess you could call these "splurge items" for me.  But anyways, let's get started.

First up is the Macadamia Oil Hair Mask.  The price usually runs around $25 USD.  I don't feel that $25 is expensive for many items, but when I spend $5 on my usual conditioner, $25 is a large step up for something such as this.

This little pot of deliciousness is my all time, absolute, (I could live without, but don't want too) and would cry if they did away with hair mask.  The texture is like Country Crock margarine.  That does sound gross, but that is how thick the texture is.  What's so great about it, is that I have very fine hair and even with the thickness of this mask, it doesn't weigh my hair down.  The biggest reason I can't seem to part with it however, is because of the scent.  I have never found anything smell so wonderful in all of my life!!  The scent is kind of light fruity-ness but has a high end scent to it as well.


Next up is a skincare product that is such a fantastic product.  It's the Dr, Brandt Pore Dermabrasion.

This scrub is amazing on my skin.  I love using those apricot scrubs multiple times a week, but they never compare to the results of just one time using the Dr. Brandt.  Unfortunately this little bottle comes in at a whopping $40 USD for just 2 oz.   So I do what I can to make my little bottle last as long as humanly possible.  But this is a much loved product for me.

My last and final product that is a luxury purse.  It took me over a year and a half to save up for this bag.  I think it's just goregeous and could live without it, but really don't want too.  It's the Louis Vuitton Speedy 35 handbag

This was to biggest investment (style wise) that I had ever made.  It retails for $1040 USD.  I wasn't going to go into any kind of debt to purchase it, so I did the old fashioned way and just saved money up in a little envelope until I had enough.  It took me close to 14 months to save up for it, and even after 10 years of owning it, I have never regretted the purchase.

Now, why did I purchase this bag?  Well, I am first off a collector of handbags.  It is the "shoes to Carrie Bradshaw" item to me.  I did a ton of research on the brand, the style and the craftsmanship of the LV Speedy, before finally settling in on it.  I do not carry my Speedy everyday.  In fact I only carry it once or twice a month, but that is because I don't want it to go through the wear and tear of my normal daily life.  I am rough on bags and for me, this is a "collector piece", so I want to make sure it always looks brand new.  My favorite thing about the bag is that you wear sweatpants and a t-shirt then throw the Speedy on your arm and your look has just went from roll out of bed s#!%, to roll out of bed chic. :)

So there you have it.  Luxury items that I really am good with spending my money on and have never regretted the purchase of.  What are your luxury items that you love?  Let me know what you like.

That's all I have for today, I will be back again 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.

Gimmick or Great? - Make Up Remover Cloth

Hi and happy Monday! I'm freezing cold.  Yep, that's all there is to that.  It's actually very, very cold weather for us here in North Texas.  The temperature is 22 degrees and that doesn't work out very well for us North Texans.  But, the heaters are all working well (knock on wood) and I'm going to count my blessings for that.

Poor Caleb was sick and home from school for two days last week....he just couldn't get past this nasty little cold he had.

This is him and Scooby sleeping in my lap. :)

Alrighty, let's talk about gimmicks or greatness.  Have you seen these makeup cloths lately?

These are the S&T Always Off Makeup Cloth.


They feel like microfiber cloths that I use to wipe my car windows with.  But these say they are made for removing makeup.  They claim to "lift away makeup instantly, with just water".  They have even stated that they will take off waterproof eye makeup. 

Well, I can't quite say that ALL of that is true.  Here's where I used the cloth with ONLY water.  You will see that the cloth does remove some makeup.  But after using the cloth, I went in with cotton rounds and my Garnier Micellar water to see how much makeup was left on my skin.  I had to use four cotton rounds to finish taking it all off.

Now, here's where I use my usual Equate brand makeup remover cloths.  I typically use two of these.  These are the ones that already have soap in them and you wet them down and lather them up.  And you will also see how much makeup left on my face with just one cotton round and micellar water. 

While it may seem that these cloths could be somewhat "gimmicky", I will NOT however, count these cloths off.  I don't really think any cloth will take off makeup with only water.  That claim is just too far off, for my personal thoughts.  But these cloths are good when used with water and soap combined. 

Now, will I continue to use them with soap and water? Probably not.  I don't like the feeling that it gives when you try to wipe your face with it.  It feels like it's pulling so hard at my skin.  I assume it's the microfibers that give the tough amount of friction.   But that is total personal preference.  I also don't like using the much loved Clarisonic facial brush.  I personally prefer the spinning head type brushes. 

But, the way I LOVE to use these, are in the makeup room.  When I am wanting to use the same brush but with a different eye shadow, I will just take the dry brush and wipe it across the cloth a few times and it will allow you to switch eye shadow colors without switching brushes.  It's like one of those Vera Mona color switch except those cost $13 USD and these cloths only cost $3 USD.

 Are they a gimmick?  No not entirely.  In fact, these will save you money because you have the ability to throw them in the washer and reuse.  Whereas the pre-soaped cloths have to be thrown away.  They will take off your makeup, but it really needs to be combined with some sort of makeup remover or face soap for the absolute best results.

So, there's my thoughts and my final verdict on the Make Up Remover Cloth.  These are only my opinions so the jury is still out as to whether or not you will like them.  But if you try them let me know your thoughts. 

I think that is all I have for today.  I hope to see you again soon, and 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.

Buy this, not that - Metal Cage Handbags

Happy Friday!!   Today will be a somewhat quick post...I wanted to show you something I have been eyeing to buy in the very near future....like after payday? :)

Anyways, I had been seeing all the fun bags that have been coming out for the 2019  Spring Summer fashion and one trend I have been loving is the metal cage bags.   Now I am not going to spend $2000 on a trend...that's just not my way of doing things.  But I thought I'd show you how I like to keep the trends in the budget.

One thing that I kept seeing over and over, were these cage bags.  This one below is from Andrea Neen and it retails for $675 USD.  Pricey but oh so cute!!

This next one below is from Isla and it retails for $597 USD.  Well that's a little better of a price, but still too much for what I am willing to spend on a trend.

Now we come to one that I am going to purchase.....This Metal Cage Bag is from Amazon and retails for......are you ready??? Ok, it's only $25 USD.  Yep, this one is in my cart and ready for the checkout button.  I was thinking about what drew me to these types of bags.  I finally remembered that I had one of these when I was in Jr. High School....I know it was a loooonnnng time ago.  But I still remember just how much I loved the look of it. 

Now, if you like the flower on the bag....never fear, I have an idea.  You can take an inexpensive brooch, or if you have one on hand you aren't using, you can E6000 the brooch to the front of the bag.

And here's the other cage handbag I am not quite sure but am really thinking about purchasing.  Isn't it super cute?!  I love unique and fun bags like these. 

Well, that's all I have for today....this is kind of like one of those "Buy this and not that" type of post.  In fact, I might just make that the title. 

Well, I am really busy at work and my lunch break is going to be cut short.  But I wanted to show you my little fun find.  I will talk to you all again really soon....next week I have a "gimmick or great" post coming for you. I can't wait to show you the product.

But until next time, take care.

-Kim

Please note that the links are affiliate and I will be compensated if you purchase from them.  But it doesn't determine my thoughts or actions regarding the products.