Tuesday's List : Beauty Products!

*I originally posted this on August 11th, but since Jessica is having this for her list topic today... I just reposted! :) Enjoy!!*

Well, I have found a new love!! It is bareMinerals! Yes, I finally gave in and bought some. Dont get me wrong.. I have wanted to try it for the longest time. I was just skeptical. And I just couldn't bring myself to spend the $60 on the starter kit on the slight chance that I might hate it. Luckily, while perusing Sephora one day, I spotted a "mini" starter kit.. and only $15!! YAY! Well, all they had was Tan (and i am FARRR from Tan.. ha!) So, I headed over to Ulta and Horray! They had it! I've used it for about a week now and I.AM.IN.LOVE!

Seriously, it's fabulous! All of you Moms know that when you have kids you only get about 2.5 minutes to get your entire self ready! And when you're trying to get TWO kids off to school in the morning.. it can get a little scary! So, my weekday makeup is minimal to say the least. I need something quick and easy. And boy, does bareMinerals deliver! It takes a total of less than 5 min from start to finish and i look completely "make-up'd" when I'm done. Now, I can't wait to to buy the real starter kit when I'm finished with my current kit!

My current beauty routine consists of:

{1} Origins A Perfect World Moisturizer w/ White Tea (LOVE this stuff! Best ever!)

{2} Erase Past by Benefit - Being of the fair-skined breed, I tend to get dark circles under my eyes. (kids make this only that much worse!) So, I do put a little concealer on under my makeup. I love Erase Paste!! (and all things Benefit!) It's magic in a bottle!

{3} bareMinerals Kit - foundations and mineral veil

{4} MAC Mineralize Skinfinish - basically a bronzer. I have both shades and love them equally. I just gives your cheeks that "sun-kissed" glow! :)

{5} After that just a little mascarra and I'm DONE! My favorites are Origins Fringe Benefits (for ordinary days) or Benefit's BadGal Lash (when you need a little extra OOMPH!) :)

I absolutely LOVE my new quick easy Mommy make-up routine! Just a few simple steps and I'm ready for the day! And ALL day at that.. I dont get one free second the rest of the day to "touch-up" and this stuff truly holds ALL DAY! Gotta love it!

This is me with my old make-up. Yes, you can tell a difference, but who needs to look this "made up" every day?! Not me! Being raised a Southern girl, you get taught early on that you must always look your best. There is no excuse for wearing sweats and no make-up ANYWHERE! You just don't do it! Lord only knows who you could run into when you're looking your worst.. horrifying! This was only ingrained into my brain more during my time at Ole Miss! So, this definitely solves my issues of looking my best and not taking all day to apply!

Just in case you're wondering...

My old make-up routine (and the one I will still use if I'm enjoying a night out on the town!) :

{1} Origins A Perfect World mousturizer

{2} Erase Paste by Benefit

{3} Clinique Supermoisture Make-up in Linen

{4} MAC Blushcreme in Posey - blended with fingers

{5} Physican's Formula Muli-Color Powder in Healthy Glow - you can actually find this right at Walgreens! It's my favorite face powder!!

{6} a little bronzer, if needed. (MAC mineral bronzer) and a little mascarra (Orgins or Benefit)

*My favorite eyeshadow is the Bobbi Brown Nude Simmer Brick. Can't go wrong!! I also love the MAC shadows. I tend to stay with the really neutral/browny-beige colors.. like Omega, Gleam and Tempting.

*I always, ALWAYS curl my lashes!! My lashes are ridiculously long, but BOARD straight.. and BLONDE! If I dont curl them.. I can't see!

*My secret trick for straightening out stray brows... a tooth brush! Yep, just a plain ole kid's tooth brush. Works everytime!! :)

*IF I wear eyeliner, which usually doesn't happen, I like just a good ole pencil.

*I don't typically wear lipstick. I feel stupid in it! haha! So, Bert's Bees does me just fine! (and it makes my lip UBER soft! always a plus!)

*I am also a complete believer that the right brushes make the application! You just can't get the same results. I have used several brands of brushes over the years and these two are by far my faves: Bobbi Brown and Eco-Tools. Bobbi's are a little pricey, but well worth the money. Eco-Tools are more cost-concious and are really good too! You can't go wrong with either!

Well, I hope you enjoyed my rantings about bareMinerals.. I hope you all go out and buy some! I HIGHLY recommend it! :)

off to a great start . . .

Well, after all the excitment of Friday, we really tried to make the weekend as relaxing as possible. When we left the pediatrician's office, Saturday morning, we drove through the campus at Christ Methodist so I could become familiar with it. Afterwards, since we were in East Memphis, I convinced Chris to take me to the PB Outlet! Found some great deals.. including these cafe curtains for the kitchen!! As well as some hand towels and a rug for the door to the garage! Love me some good deals at PBO!! :)

Saturday night, Memaw and Grandpa G came over to watch the kids while my sweet husband indulged me in some Baskin Robbins and a date to see The Time Traveler's Wife (which was GREAT!!). We never get "date nights" anymore, so it was quite the treat! The kid's seemed to have a great night with Memaw and G!

E showing me his "phythons" (muscles)!

I thought this was too cute... Usually, they're at each others throats screaming about something... this was a sweet surprise!

Me and my hubby!! (he got major brownie points for letting ME pick the movie!!) :)

Love them . . .

On Sunday.. I decided to make LK a nap blanket for school. She has a nap mat from preschool (the flowered one below) that is great! However, for Kindergarten, they need something that can fit into their backpacks. The teacher said most kids bring a beach towel or something of that nature.. well, a beach towel just won't work for Miss Lilly Stickles! So.. I had to come up with something non-bulky, small enough to fit into her pak but yet cute and comfy. Well, I decided to use a pink fleece blanket that Lilly has had for a while. I cut it down to the size of her old mat, pinned.. stiched.. and added ribbons to tie! I think I'm pretty happy with the end result! It rolls right up and fits perfectly in her bag! She seems to like it! :)

Just a few of E...

Pure happiness . . .

Isn't this great!! This is what Ethan does ALL.DAY.LONG!!! Throwing some sort of ball!!

Sunday evening, we took our walk (preparing Mommy for her 5K!) and when we got back, I got us all organized for our new school routine!! Of course regular post it's just wouldn't do.. so I got my trusty photoshop and went to work!! I hope this helps! (chore chart coming soon!) So far so good, this morning we were right on time!! Our morning went smoothly! (and LK had NO temp what-so-ever!! horray!)

Lazy Saturday Afternoon . . .

Guess what I did today . . . . .

YEP! I sewed my very first jon-jon for Ethan!!! I am SOOO excited! If there's one thing I love, it's little boys in jon-jons! And believe me... my bank account has paid the price! (literally!) I decided that they couldn't be that hard to make though, right?! I mean, I've sewed things before... I could do it! So.. I found a pattern online and ordered.. and then it sat by my sewing machine for months. I just couldn't get brave enough to try it! Luckily, this week, I found some plain ole white material at Hob Lob for $1.30/yrd! I figured for a total of $3 that I could give it a try and even if it turned out horribly I wouldn't be upset. So, I called up "Mama Paula" (the seamstress of all seamstresses) and got some great tips! And wouldn't you know... SUCCESS!! I mean, it's FAR from perfect and I have LOTS of practicing to do before E can wear a "mommy creation" in public... but I did it and all things considered.. it looks great!! (and Chris is more than thrilled that jon-jons are now in the $10 range instead of the $30 range!!)

We also headed over to Macy's for their huge clearance sale this weekend... we hit the JACKPOT!!

First on the list was LK's pink flamingo sheets!! She was dying for them! So, with the sale discount and my extra discount for putting them on my Macy's card... they were a total of $17! She absolutely loves them and they look adorable in her room!

Next on the list was Mommy and Daddy's bed... we were in desperate need of new pillows and sheets. Luckily we found the Ralph Lauren pillows marked down to $9.99! (plus an extra 10% off with my M.C.) Next, I just happen to find the perfect sheets in the Clearance Section. 700 thread count sheets marked down to 79.99(from $180!) and wouldn't you believe it... clearance got an additional 40% off!!! UNBELIEVEABLE!! (and yes... they're polka dotted!!) :)

So, for a total of about $80 we got 4 pillows and two sets of sheets! What a great deal!! Next sale... bathroom towels!! Oh, how I am dying for new towels! I think little boys and husbands just magically do something to towels to make them forever smell! Really, I think they do! So... towels.. here I come!

I hope everyone had a great Saturday!

Fireworks, Friends & Fabulous Finds!

What a weekend!! We absolutely LOVE the 4th of July in our family and this year was no different! :)

FIREWORKS

Friday night we met up with the Geabhart Family and headed into Bartlett to watch the fireworks show. We brought blankets, lawn chairs and snacks and just let the kids run around and play. They had a blast! The fireworks were loud and "big ones" (as ethan called them!). Thanks to the Geabhart's for such a wonderful time!

Everyone say "CHEESE!"

Miss G and her firefly catchers!

Haley and Gracie Geabhart

Ethan found dirt!

Awww... smooches!

(dont let him fool you.. he's just like his daddy, so you know he loved this!)

FRIENDS

Meet Oliver and Max!

LK has been asking for a kitten for a while now. Chris doesn't like cats.. so, he wouldn't give in! Well one day last week while we were walking around the neighborhood, we say 3 little kittens (they had their mittens!) on someone's doorstep. We didn't know if they were strays or not, so we asked the homeowners. Lilly, of course, fell in love! Chris gave in and said that if they were strays we could take them home! YAY!! (so we thought!) Unfortunately, they belonged to the homeowners and LK was heartbroken! After that we kept seeing signs for free kittens everywhere we went. We just felt so bad for Lilly and decided to call one of the numbers that we saw. So, we called and they had two brothers left. Well, we couldn't leave one behind all by himself! So.. Lilly Kate is now the proud "Mommy" of Oliver (black & white) and Max (gray & white)! Chris only let us get them on the condition that they live in the garage. Oliver is a bit timid still but Max is fiesty and a ball of energy. They'll be a perfect fit in our home! And no, Dixie has NOT met the newest additions!! :)

FABULOUS FINDS!

Saturday afternoon I was a bit bored, so I convinced Chris to take me to the PB Outlet. (you know.. my home away from home!) I have decided that the kids need better organization in their playroom, so I wanted to see what shelving they had. Well, I didn't see any furniture that i just had to have BUT i did find these super fun things for their playroom!! And only $14!! LOVE it! We still have not painted this room, but now I am dying to paint it! We still have a giant paper roll for arts & crafts to hang up and I have another craft table coming! Yep.. paint is a must! This room is now my latest projct. Here's a few pictures of my fabulous finds and hopefully soon I'll be able to post a pictures of a freshly painted, organized shelving, craft table playing play room! :)


giant magnetic tree for hanging art work!

Ginormous Binoculars!

Show Us Where You Live Friday: Home Offices

Today on Kelly's Korner, the topic is Home Offices. Well, I'm certainly NOT going to show you my "home office" right now b/c it's a MESS! Really, it is! I've been crazy busy all week with orders and making things for Ethan's birthday party! So... not showing! But I will show you a picture of my desk. It probably is my most favorite piece of furniture in my house. Why? ....

(and OF COURSE my office totally looks like this picture!! - yeah, right.. i wish! - i guess that would require not having kids!! hmm..) :) Because of THIS drawer! It's the entire length AND width of the desk.. HUGE! With adorable little cubbies built in. The picture below doesn't even show a third of the drawer! I AM IN LOVE! I seriously believe that I was meant to own this wonderous thing... we were meant to be! HA! :) In all honestly though, it fabulous and helps keep my sanity a little more in check with ultimate organization!

The best part is that it was my sweet, sweet husband who bought it for me! I had secretly (ok, maybe not soo secretly) been eyeing it for weeks. One day he called and said that Pottery Barn had marked it down. Long story short, in about 2hrs from that phone call it was MINE!

So, that's all of the home office (rather, bit of area that is strictly off limits to all persons under 4ft tall in my house!) you get to see. Maybe if it actually gets clean one day, and i stop being so busy and can clean it, then I can post actual pictues! Don't really see that happening though! :)