Serenity

Serenity Michelle *****. She was born on July 25th at 4:45 pm weighing in at 6 lbs 14 oz and 19 inches long. Here are some photos. She looks a lot like her dad (my brother).

EDIT: Would like to mention, incase you didn't see my post a few days ago, that this is my neice not my baby, lol. Just so no one gets the wrong idea!


Serentity with her big sister Aleonna!

Small haul from About Face/TheSheSpace.com

I put in just a small order a few weeks ago and got my package Saturday, so here is what I got!

I can't wait to try Pushing Daisies, it looks so pretty!

These are meant to be added to other pigments. At first I was a little confused when I saw these because they were just white sparkles, but when you put them against a dark background you can see the colors. I have no clue what to put these in.

This is not one of the regular colors, this was just a free pigment from Heather to make up for the long processing and shipping time.

Cashmere Stockings is a finishing powder meant to really give your skin a soft glow, I haven't used it yet because I'm waiting for my skin to heal. I used something that made me breakout pretty badly two weeks ago and I am still getting new (but thankfully smaller) breakouts right now. Will review once I give this a go.

Earthquake!

Boy oh boy, did we have some excitement today! This afternoon there was an earthquake. Everytime a big truck goes down my street my house shakes a little, so it took about 3 seconds for me to realize there really was an earthquake going on. I was sitting on my bed reading, and at first it was pretty gentle for about 5 seconds, then there were some bigger jerks so I moved to the door way and stood there until it stopped. It was probably the biggest one I've felt, but there is usually at least one or two small ones every year so no big deal. Luckly there haven't been any injuries reported in the area so thank goodness for that! I'm in San Bernardino, so thats about 30 miles away (I think) from Chino.

LOS ANGELES - A strong earthquake shook Southern California on Tuesday, causing buildings to sway and triggering some precautionary evacuations. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The jolt was felt from Los Angeles to San Diego, across the border in Tijuana, Mexico and slightly in Las Vegas.

The 11:42 a.m. quake was initially estimated at 5.8 by the U.S. Geological Survey but was revised downward to 5.4. More than a dozen aftershocks quickly followed, the largest estimated at magnitude-3.8.

The quake was centered 29 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles near the San Bernardino County city of Chino Hills, and was estimated to be about 8 miles below the earth's surface.

Shimmery Green FOTD

Face: Revlon CS

Cheeks: Stila Petal

Lips: NYX Honey

Eyes: UDPP
About Face Blaim The Rain (inner 1/3)
AF Chasing Mystery (middle)
AF Moral Enemy (outer 1/3)
Smashbox cream liner
AF Art Of Noise (over liner)
HIP Retro duo, cream shade as highlighter
Maybelline Great Lash mascara

What I used:

I'm an Auntie (again)!!!

My brother's wife just had a little girl yesterday evening! I can't see her because they live in Kentucky and I'm in California, but maybe they'll visit in a few months. So now I have 6 neices and 5 & 1/2 nephews (my other sister is expecting a boy in about 8 months)!

Her name is Serenity Michelle Perry, 6 lbs 14ish oz. If my brother emails some pics I'll post them here asap. I'm sure he will at some point.

Have a great weekend everyone! Pics of my latest About Face haul will be up tomorrow (this doesn't include anything from the Cinderella collection).

Neon Pink & Teal FOTD

Face: Revlon CS

Cheeks: Jane Blushing Petal &NYX Stone to contour

Lips: NYX Harmonica l/s & French Kiss l/g

Eyes: UDPP
NYX jumbo e/s pencil Hot Pink
NYX chrome e/s Sunny Day (all over lid)
MAC Cool Heat (lining lower lashes)
NYX Anti Diva trio #1 (highlighter)
Maybelline Great Lash mascara

What I used:

Review: POSH Brushes

Just to recap, I got these from PoshBrushes.com. You can use the code UA123 for 50% off your order (enter this on the payment page) and shipping is free on orders over $35 before the discount.


Eyeliner Duo
Cost: $12
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Both of these brushes are soft, but the bristles are firm and are great for lining under the bottom lashes. Even the larger one is easy to use for lining. I get the color out of the brushes by washing them with hot water. My only complant is that it would have been better if one of the brushes were angled.



Crease Brush Duo
Cost: $12
Rating: 5 out of 5

I loooooooove these little brushes! The larger one is fantastic for the crease. Its very soft and densly packed. Its great at color placement control, and it doesn't leave a harse line that you have to blend out, the lines from this are pretty soft. You can also use this to blend eye shadow. There were only 2 bristles that shed after I washed this. The smaller of these brushes is similar to the MAC 219 pencil brush (which I haven't used, just going by what I've seen in other videos and photos). So far I've only used it to apply e/s under my bottom lashes and its really nice. I don't yet know how this works in the crease.



Concealer Duo
Cost: $12
Rating: 5 out of 5

These are typical concealer brushes. They are soft with firm bristles and don't shed. I don't even have concealer so I don't quite remember why I got these but they are nice. The larger can be used for foiling eye shadow.



Touch Up Brush
Cost: $7
Rating: 5 out of 5

This is a very soft brush that can be used for applying powder around the nose or other small areas, touching up concealer, and can also be used to apply eye shadow. It does NOT do well applying wet eye shadow, but I love it for applying them dry! I've given it a few rough washings and it hasn't shed but a few of the hairs have kind of gone off in different directions. To clean this you need hot water to get the color out of the white hair. If/When I order from POSH again I would probably get another one of these brushes as long as the bristles don't start to go wonky.

Soft Pinks & Kelly Green FOTDs

Face: Revlon CS

Cheeks: Jane Blushing Petal

Lips: Idk

Eyes: UDPP
About Face Valley Girl (all over lids)
About Face Power Burn (crease)
About Face DC purple (under lower lashes)
Avon Super Full mascara

This time the colors are this sheer irl







Cheeks: Stila Sakura Petal

Lips: Avon glazewear Coral Gables

Eyes: UDPP
DC About Face green (all over lid)
Fyrinnae Njordr (outer crease)
About Face Chasing Mystery (middle crease & lower lashes)
Avon Super Full mascara

What I used:

Review: Ardell Brow & Lash Growth Accelerator

Quality: 2 out of 5
Packaging: 5 out of 5
Price: $5
Where to buy: Rite Aid, drugstore.com

How it works: Brow & Lash Growth Accelerator is a concentrated serum of multi-proteins that works to immediately repair weak lashes and restore thickness of over-tweezed or thinning brows. Added conditioners soften dry, brittle lashes enabling them to grow longer, thicker and fuller.

Directions: After cleansing face, brush on to lashes and/or brows. Leave on all night.

PROS: This works good as an eyebrow gel. I use it to hold my eyebrow hairs in shape.

CONS: First of all, it SMELLS AWFUL! After a month I stopped using this on my lashes because when I would put it on the smell was just too strong. I can still use it on my brows because then its not so close to my nose and I can just hold my breath. It hasn't made my lashes or brows and thicker at all, I've been using this almost everyday for over 3 months.

Ingredients: Water (aqua), Paeonia Suffruticosa Extract, Panthenol, Polytetrafluoroethylene, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, VP DMAPA Acrylates Copolymer, Polyquaternium 37, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, PPG 1 Trideceth 6, Ricinus Communis Seed Oil (Castor), Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, DMDM Hydantoin

POSH Brush Haul

I finally got my POSH brushes yesterday night, yay! I got the concealer duo, the eyeliner duo, the crease duo, and the touch up brush. The duos were $12 and the touch up was $7. I ordered from Poshbrushes.com and used the code UA123 to get 50% off so my order went from $43 to $21. There is free shipping on orders over $35 before the discount. It took POSH a full week to ship my package, which it stated clearly on their website that it would.

The brushes are a lot smaller then I thought they would be, as far as handle and length. They are about as long as my hand from the base of my palm to the end of my pinky, and I have pretty small hands. That can be a good thing though, I don't like long bulky handles.

The bristles are very soft, I washed them last night and there wasn't any sheding or bleeding. I haven't used any of these yet so it'll be a day or two before I do a proper review.





Touch Up, Concealer Duo, Eyeliner Duo, Crease Duo

Puuuuurple FOTD

Face: Revlon CS

Blush: Stila Sakura Petal

Lips: NYX Summer Love

Eyes: UDPP
target brand eye drops to foil
About Face (TSS) Crack The Whip (all over lid, wet)
About Face No Scruples (crease & lining lower lashes)
NYX Deep Purple (outer crease, wet)
NYX Anti Diva trio #1 (highlighter)
Maybelline Great Lash mascara

What I used:

Ok so my camera did not pic up the vibrancy of the e/s at all, so I did use photoshop to tweek the purple a bit. Its not spot on but I got it as close as I possibly could.


The e/s is not quite this metallic but its still very shiny irl.




xox

Wacky Beauty Tips That Work

Toothpaste on a zit? Vinegar in your hair? Some of that ridiculous-sounding advice you've heard in passing is really right on.

From Cosmopolitian Magazine

You've been told this line before: "Okay, I know it's weird but...." What follows is a surprising piece of advice — about anything from clearing up a zit to taming a flyaway — that totally does the trick. Call it word-of-mouth beauty. Sure, these tips might sound strange at first ("You put diaper cream where?!"), but there's a logic to them. We rounded up tons of such pointers (from pros as well as real girls) and tested them at Cosmo. Though a few clunkers had to be kicked to the curb, all the rest, presented here, are real gems.

1) Powder Your Roots
If your hairline starts to look greasy, dig up a big, fluffy makeup brush, and dip it into a pot of loose powder. Tap it once on the back of your hand to remove the excess, then dust it over your roots. It mops up oil and blends into your strands, so no one will know you didn't shower.

2) Scent Strands with Perfume
Spray a light shot of fragrance into the bristles. Run it through strands from roots to ends and your hair will smell amazing throughout the day.

3) Cure Calluses with Vaseline (I've tried this one myself, it works great)
Slather on the petroleum jelly, and put on socks before bed to dissolve tough calluses overnight.

4) Spot-Treat Smudges
Dip a cotton swab in eye-makeup remover, and trace it along your lids to erase any slipups or goofs when there's no time to redo your whole look.

5) Fix a Flushed Face
If you turn red and stay that way after exercising (like seriously red for hours, even though you're healthy and hydrated), take an antihistamine like Benadryl when you leave the gym to reduce redness.

6) Soften Your Bod with Avocado
Take a ripe avocado, remove the pit and skin, and mash it up in a bowl. Slather it all over your body, let it sit for 20 minutes, then rinse off. Your skin will be sooo soft — avocado is a natural moisturizer.

7) Super-Glue a Nail
Instead of tearing off your nail when it breaks, put a tiny dab of Super Glue over the split, and paint a generous layer of your favorite nailpolish shade over it. Go for an opaque option (like red, purple, or coral) to camouflage and seal the crack.

8) Use Makeup Remover on Stubborn Lipstick
Don't try to rub off red lipstick (which makes it smear across your mouth — not so sexy). Instead, take a cotton ball or tissue, dip it in makeup remover, and just dab to erase the dark stain fast.

9) Tame Brows with Eye Cream
Pat any kind of rich eye cream over brows to help keep them hydrated and banish those icky white specks that look like dandruff.

10) Buff with Baking Soda
If you find yourself streaking (not glowing) after applying self-tanner, put some baking soda on a loofah, and scrub away the stripes.

11) Brush on Hair Spray
For the final step of your blow-dry, spray hair spray onto your brush, and run it through strands from roots to tips. This way, your do isn't so plastered and stiff but still holds volume and shine.

12) Boost Body Lotion with Baby Oil
If you're craving shiny legs that aren't greasy, blend a drop of baby oil into your normal body lotion for extra luster.

13) Dab Essential Oil on a Hangnail
Put on apricot oil, the kind found in health-food stores, to protect cuticles from turning rough and raggedy.

14) Quell a Cold Sore with Cream
When a cold sore is coming on, dab a bit of thick moisturizer, like Aquaphor, over it to prevent it from getting worse.

15) Freeze Your Eyeliner
If the tip of your eyeliner pencil crumbles and smears on your lids, store the liner in the freezer for 15 minutes before use so the tip is firm and goes across your skin smoothly.

16) Use Toothpaste on a Zit
Use just a pea-size amount. Let sit for 15 minutes to absorb the oil so the pimple won't get more clogged, then wash off.

17) Heat Up Your Curler
If you have stick-straight lashes, try blasting your metal eyelash curler with a hair dryer for a couple seconds to heat it up so your lashes bend more easily. And use a waterproof mascara. The formula dries faster than other mascaras, so it sets the curl more effectively.

18) Use Soap Without Water
You know those fancy bars that are actually too pretty to use? Toss them in your underwear or tee-shirt drawers to make your skin smell delicious.

19) Groom Brows with a Toothbrush
Mist an (unused!) toothbrush or eyebrow comb with hair spray to help flatten and tame unruly brows.

20) Put Diaper-Rash Cream on Dry Spots
Slather on a thick layer of diaper-rash cream to heal cracked elbows and feet.

21) Lubricate Your Lashes
An easy way to draw attention to your eyes without putting on a pile of makeup is to comb petroleum jelly lightly through the tips of eyelashes to get a sexy, subtle sparkle.

22) Steamroll Flyaways
Spray on hair spray, then roll the can over your strands. The round bottle fits the curved shape of your head, locks in the spray, and flattens out frizz.

23) Spike Lotion with Bronzer
If you don't have time to book a self-tanning session, mix a few pumps of body bronzer with regular hand lotion and pat it on your legs for a gradual dose of sexy, beachy color.

24) Air-Dry Your Curls
Let your hair dry indoors before going out in the cold. The curls will be really bouncy and piecey-perfect.

25) Press a Tea Bag on Splotches
If your skin is sensitive or just looking irritated and puffy for some reason, steep a bag of green tea for a minute or two, let it cool down, and dab it over your face. The antioxidants in the tea take down inflammation.

26) Shave with Conditioner (After trying this over a year ago I won't use anything else, its SO much better the shaving cream. Don't use cheap conditioner like Sauve though, I find it doesn't feel as nice as my TreSemme does)
Ran out of shaving cream? Do double duty by coating your stems with a thick hair conditioner. It softens the hair so it's easier to shave off and makes legs feel amazingly silky.

27) Amp Shine with Vinegar
Mix one part vinegar with four parts carbonated water, and soak dry hair. Leave on for 15 minutes before you shampoo to lock in shine and combat dullness.

28) Exfoliate Your Pits
If your underarms start to look dry and flaky, an easy trick is to exfoliate them with a gentle face scrub to keep that skin pretty when going sleeveless.

29) Customize Your Body Lotion
Instead of shelling out for an expensive perfumed body product, you can make your own by pouring a few drops of fragrance into any scent-free lotion. Rub it on-the scent will last for hours.

30) "Brush" with Mouthwash
If you're too wiped out after a late night of partying to clean your teeth, rinse with water and mouthwash, then use a dry toothbrush on the area where your teeth hit your gums.

31) Make an Egg-White Mask
To revive tired, dull skin without hitting the spa table, try this: Crack open an egg in a bowl, separate the yolk, and use the egg whites to make a face mask. The proteins help to heal and restore skin's moisture. Leave it on for five minutes, and rinse off.

32) Dry Sensitive Skin with T.P.
Instead of drying your face with a scratchy towel, pat with toilet paper-it's ultrasoft on delicate skin (and bums!).

Sunset FOTD & Tutorial

Face: Revlon CS

Cheeks: WnW Spotlight Peach blush

Lips: NYX Honey

Eyes: UDPP
NYX Shangri-La yellow (under bottom lashes)
About Face Aphrodite Screams (all over lid)
Fyrinnae Kitten In Heels (crease)
ELF Pink Ice (highlighter)
Maybelline Great Lash mascara

What I used: