Good bye!

I haven't posted in a few months....and I think it is time to take an official break from blogging (not sure how permanent yet) to focus on what is most important in my life. Between being a fully time mommy and a part-time pharmacist I don't have time (or the money) to be blogging about make-up on a regular basis. Thank you for following me and supporting me through this journey. I hope you continue to find success and friendship through this wonderful network of beautiful ladies! If you would like to keep in touch with me, I have a pinterest account (juliekristin102) and as always will continue to follow your lovely blogs. Thank you again.....

XO Julie

Awesome & Awkward Thursday!

Awkward

1. Tornado Warning. Husband at work, repeatedly asking if we are OK. Come home already! Nuf said

2. Going to the hairstylist with a picture of Carrie Underwood (I have never gone into a hair salon with a celeb photo before). It is "close" but not totally accurate. Oh well. I guess hair grows :) That is the beauty of it! Maybe it's the color/extensions (or her totally talented hair stylist) but who am I joking, I will never look like Carrie....

3. Acne. Holy crap. I hate it, and it seems like ever since I had the baby my skin has been TERRIBLE. I tried a new night cream and it totally broke me out :(

4. Baby.still.not.sleeping.through.the.night. Seriously, how long can this continue?

5. Britney Spear's new CD. TERRIBLE. I am a huge Brit fan, but seriously??! This album was an epic fail.

AWESOME

1. New grocery store (Like a mini-Whole Foods! I am IN LOVE!) I absolutely love grocery shopping, I know it's weird, but it's therapeutic in a way.

2. Chic-fil-a. I adore this stuff and crave it like nobodies business. I could eat it everyday. I try to resist most days, but it's a cheap pick me up that gets me though the day :)

3. Holiday weekends. We are getting the baby baptized this weekend, and it miraculously worked out that everyone involved is probably going to make it. I am excited to celebrate! I am seeing potato casserole in my near future! Do you have any Easter/holiday traditions that involve food?

4. Reese's Peanut butter eggs. Slightly obsessed. I think I am on my 4th bag (I share them, of course!)

5. Zoya nail polish! I received the color "dove" in my April Birch box! Such a lovely purple/gray spring color! (Currently on my toes!)

A Few Random Favorites! Revlon, John Frieda & Seche Ultra-V

Sorry I have been absent lately! This is my little distraction (who can't be left alone for a even a second!)

 The thermostat in my car today = 91 degrees.

Yuck. 

Um, hello? It is APRIL!

Enough venting about the ridiculously high temperatures in West Texas....

I wanted to share some great new products that I have tried recently that I haven't seen anyone else review! 

Let's get started!

Revlon PhotoReady Concealer (I have 002 Light)

This stuff is creamy, easily blendable and stays forever! I use it all over my face (usually after foundation), and find that it covers imperfections, discoloration, zits and under eye circles! You can build it under your eyes (I have pretty severe genetic under eye circles) It creases a little, but I find that most under eye concealers crease if not set with powder.

I have tried dozens of concealers (from drugstore cheapies to ridiculously expensive Cle de Peau) and this one is definitely a keeper! At $10, it is a great price (plus you can always find great deals on Revlon at the drugstore).

John Frieda Frizz-Ease 3-Day Straight

Holy cow this stuff is awesome! I have wavy/naturally curly hair and this stuff is seriously miracle-in-a-bottle! Again, I have tried pretty much every hair straightening product and this really delivers! You spray it on damp hair (the bottle says 7-15 sprays) and blow dry completely. You finish by flat ironing in sections. If you don't wash your hair, it will look pretty much perfect/straight for 3 days! This contains hydrolyzed keratin so it probably isn't the best thing to use everyday but if you desire flat hair for a special occasion I highly recommend this product! I was amazed at how flat my hair remained after sleeping/working out/putting it up in a bun! Again, for around $10, not too shabby when you consider that most keratin treatments are SUPER expensive!

If you read my last post you remember that I took the plunge and tried the new 14 day gel manicure. I paid $35 for Axxium nails (French Manicure) and sadly, it didn't last me 2 weeks (I took off the polish last night which would be day 11).

I think I know what went wrong, because my left hand was the one that didn't last (while my right hand was still going pretty strong). The salon used two different UV lamps to "cure" my nails. The lamp on the right was higher speed and the one of the left looked cheap. Lo and behold, the left hand wasn't "cured" properly and it started to lift and peel. I tried to save it with top coat, but it just didn't look right. I had to soak my nails in acetone to get this stuff off (note: it didn't ruin my nails like acrylics do) and took probably 20 minutes from start to finish to do myself. 

I really loved the look (it was applied to natural nails and not damaging) but was curious if there was anything cheaper and available for at home use.

After doing some research I found an at-home Seche Ultra-V kit (a UV-cured top coat) that leaves a durable, long wearing, high gloss shine over polish. Dries layers of polish in just 3 minutes under any UV lamp. 

I bought my kit at Sally's Beauty and all together it cost around $30 ($22 for a small handheld UV lamp and $8 for the special top coat polish with my member card). I tried this OVER my Axxium nails and it really looked awesome! I didn't take any pictures but I would highly recommend this to people that hate to wait for their polish to dry! My nails were completely dry after 3 minutes under the lamp! (Super shiny too!) Not sure how long this lasts, but I am excited to try it without my Axxium!

What awesome products have you tried lately?

Awesome & Awkward

Awkward

1) The fact that I CANNOT sit through an entire movie anymore. I think I have adult onset ADHD or I just can't pay attention to anything anymore due to severe sleep deprivation... but I end up surfing the net/doing something else every.single.time :(
2) Eating a ridiculous amount of high fat food: Haagen Dazs, french fries, fried mozzarella.  I blame it on the breast feeding. I know it is the BEST thing for your baby, but it sucks the life out of me! I need to figure out how to get healthy fats in my diet!
3) Spending too much money on new clothes. I lost weight (all of my baby weight plus some extra), so my "pre-pregnancy" clothes are now too big, so..... I have been treating myself to some cute "Mom-friendly" spring/summer clothing. My husband is not too happy about that. Oh well. Maybe I should just eat more Haagen Dazs :)

Awesome

1) OPI axxium gel manicure! Totally, totally rocks! I went in to try Shellac (the other gel/polish hybrid manicure that claims to last 2-3 weeks without chipping) and they ended up doing a French manicure with the OPI axxium product. After some googling and research the products are very similar (but axxium is supposedly harder to remove than Shellac) OPI has more colors to choose from, and the application is a bit different. It took a little longer than a standard manicure (45-50 min), but I love the results, I am on day 2, and I don't have any visible wear yet! Here is a crummy iPhone photo:

2) Sewing. Totally love it! Here is my first "official" creation (it even has pockets!). Not perfect, but I love it (Excuse my messy bathroom and yucky hair)! This is proof that you CAN sew girls!

3) Watermelon with my little man :)

I love warmer weather! 93 degrees today! Hello Summer!

Friday Night Favorites :)

Friday nights used to be filled with fun date nights, parties and bar hopping. Well, my life has changed (for the better I might add) and I am currently home at 7PM with a sleeping baby in sweatpants watching Sex and the City re-runs ::Sigh::

I really enjoy reading everyone's blogs, but have been lacking some inspiration for writing anything that anyone would want to read. So I decided to talk about a few of my favorite things...

1) Ghirardelli dark chocolate brownies. Simply the best brownies ever. I found some at Big Lots last week which made me do a happy dance in the middle of the isle. This stuff is HARD to find!

 Source

2) Online shopping. (Mainly Amazon.com) ....I am totally suckered into buying everything on Amazon lately. I have an "Amazon Mom" membership which gets me free 2-day shipping on almost everything I could ever want (and it's FREE to sign up!). This is VERY dangerous, but highly recommended if your resources are limited like mine. I think the UPS man knows me by name (which is slightly embarrassing!) **Note: you don't need to be a "Mom" to sign up....grandparents, dads and caregivers can sign up too!

Link


3) Pinterest. Oh.my.goodness. I can waste HOURS on this site looking at pretty pictures and "pinning" items to my board. I waited for weeks to be accepted and have been addicted ever sense. EVERY recipe I have tried from Pinterest has been amazing. Totally hooked on finding new recipes at the moment!

 4) Pyramid Apricot Ale. Simply the best tasting most amazing beer on the planet. I can only find it at ONE grocery store. I let myself have ONE drink at a time, so it usually lasts me a long time.  Call it cheap therapy, but it relaxes me and I enjoy it :)

5) Crafts. Sewing. Hobbies. When you stay at home your mind starts to wander. I see something on a blog or on a website and I am inspired to make it or recreate it.

Examples:

1)I bought a Dremel drill today at Wal-mart....why you ask? So I can update my dresser/night stand combo with new decorative knobs that I scored 50% off at Hobby Lobby! (The new knobs don't fit in the current holes, of course!)

 

2) Serger sewing machine.... so I can make clothing (YES! I am going to attempt to make some dresses) I had to watch a video on how to thread this bad boy. Seriously confusing!

 

3) Evernote (you can clip pages/internet sites that you want to save) it's free and I am obsessed! You save everything to an online account, so you can access it on your smart phone (with the Evernote app) and it makes life so much easier! It is like a scrap book on your computer :) Highly recommended!

Link

Has anyone seen Black Swan? I am intrigued, but not a huge fan of scary movies!? Is it worth seeing?

Have a great weekend!

A to Z......

A. Age: 29. Yikes. That is the first time I've had to write/type that number (my b-day was the 21st). I feel old, like really really old. I'm almost 30!

B. Bed size: King. My husband is a bed buffalo. He wanted a queen, I demanded a king and I'm so glad I did! He still manages to kick me :)

C. Chore you dislike: Laundry. I don't mind actually putting stuff in the washing machine BUT I don't like to put anything in the dyer  (I like to hang up all of my clothes so they don't shrink). It takes forever for them to dry and I despise putting it all away/hanging it up after wards. That is probably why I always have a million loads to do :/

D. Dogs: Always had golden retriever's growing up (best family dogs ever!) but my husband and I have never taken the plunge to get a puppy. They require a huge time commitment to train and now that we have a baby, I think we should wait a little longer! (Plus you can't leave them home for vacations/long outings which I think is a huge pain in the rear end).

E. Essential start to your day: COFFEE! I have a 7 month old. End of story :)

F. Favorite color: I would say purple, but everything in my closet is gray or black

G. Gold or silver: Silver, but I have been slowly accumulating gold jewelry lately

H. Height: 5'8'' 

I. Instruments you play(ed): The recorder (in elementary school!) The flute (in elementary and middle school). I liked it, but it was expensive to take lessons, and it was suddenly NOT cool to be in band anymore once you become a teenager, so I quit.

J. Job title: Mommy: a.k.a Full time domestic engineer....part-time pharmacist

K. Kids: One little man. 7 months old. Haven't totally decided if I want another one.....yet! :)

L. Live: Texas

M. Mom’s name: Cathy Lou (She hates it when we call her that)

N. Nicknames: Jules

O. Overnight hospital stays: A few.....the latest was when I had the bambino

P. Pet peeves: People that don't use their turn indicator, texting while driving, leaving ONE spoon/fork/knife in the sink after washing the dishes, when people say the work LIKE too much, Facebook status posts that are over the top and share WAY too much information about the person.

Q. Quote from a movie: Hmmm. I'm not a huge movie quote afficionada. Pass.

R. Righty or lefty: Right. But when I wake board I am goofy footed

S. Siblings: 2 little sisters....one of them has a blog too! Find it here

T. Time you wake up: Ah sleep. I wake up before 7 now (not by choice, but that is when the little man demands to be up for the day!)

U. Underwear: Yes. Hanky Panky thongs are my favorites

V. Vegetables you don’t like: Asparagus. Yuck.

W.What makes you run late: I used to be on time, but then I had a baby. Everything is 10x harder with a child, including running errands and getting to your destination on time. He poops everytime I walk out the door. Seriously.

X. X-rays you’ve had: Chest, dental...

Y. Yummy food you make: I like to bake, but I can usually follow recipes well. I would be a horrible chef, I need to follow directions and measure EXACTLY :)

Z. Zoo animal favorites: I hate zoos. I feel terrible for the animals. I personally think it is wrong to have such big animals in such small spaces.

MAC Pink Power Dupe Alert! + Awkward & Awesome

When the MAC Wonder Woman collection came out I made a mental note to order the Pink Power Mineralize Skinfinish immediately. Well, life happened and I forgot to order the product online (the closest MAC counter is ~3 hours away). What happened next? I frantically started to search eBay for the cheapest option (100% markups are ridiculous). I ended up buying the powder from the person that charged the cheapest amount and luckily didn't charge for shipping (I won't disclose how much I spent, but it was more than I should have).

MAC Wonder Woman Pink Power Mineralize Skinfinish 

(0.7oz Retail: $35 ~ this is twice the size of the regular skinfinish product 0.35oz for $27)

I was realllly excited when I found this dupe (it was already in my makeup drawer too I might add)

NYC Color Wheel Mosaic Face Powder in 0151-04 Starburst

(0.32 oz retail: $4.99 or cheaper) 

The Two side-by-side

Swatch of MAC Pink Power:

Swatch of NYC Face Powder:

The differences: It was hard to swatch each color in the NYC product so I swirled them all together. I think these products are VERY similar. The MAC product might be more bronze. 

I would have saved myself a TON of money had I realized how close these products were. SO, if you missed the Wonder Woman collection, head over to Target or your local drugstore to pick up one of these!

Awkward & Awesome Thursday

Awkward

Having a cold for the first time in a LONG time. Mommy's don't get sick days :(

Never seeming to keep up with the clutter & mess in my house. FRUSTRATING! 

Facebook stalking. I think social media is really too time consuming

I sold my camera to upgrade to a new one, so I only have my little point & shoot. Feels awkward

Husband leaves AGAIN tomorrow. Sigh.

Leaving my son with his first babysitter tomorrow......I'm a little nervous :(

AWESOME

Going to the library. Getting my own library card. Checking out books for FREE :)

Getting 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep last night. I went to be before 8PM. Yep. Awesome.

Coffee. Ibuprofen. Zyrtec. Water. Repeat. 

Water out of the refrigerator. Tastes SO much better than tap water

Selling a bunch of old stuff on eBay to make extra money

Getting a new camera (with extra money from eBay)! I upgraded to the D90 SO EXCITED :) :) :)

Thanks for Reading :)