Tag: blogging

Fifty Shades of Sephora

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This Sephora Saturday is all about Fifty Shades of Grey. I recently picked up some items from the MAKE UP FOR EVER limited-edition Fifty Shades of Grey collection. If you knew me personally you would know all about my obsession with Fifty Shades of Grey, I have read each book so many times I’ve lost count. So when I saw these limited-edition pieces from MAKE UP FOR EVER I knew I had to have them. All the pieces were used on the set of the Fifty Shades of Grey movie by Victoria Down, Head of the Makeup Department for Fifty Shades of Grey. Definitely check out Sephora’s Glossy interview with Victoria Down where she spills all her secrets from the set.

The first item I picked up is the Tease Me Lip Set in the shade Passionate (it also comes in a nude shade called Innocent). This set includes an Aqua Lip lip pencil in Matte Raspberry 10C, an Aqua Rouge lipstick in Limited Edition Shade 50, Clear and a Lab Shine lip gloss in D4 Shimmering Grenadine. The set also includes a pamphlet on how to re-create the different looks from the movie.

MAKE UP FOREVER Tease Me Lip Set - Passionate

  MAKE UP FOREVER Tease Me Lip Set – Passionate

Now let me just say my favorite, and everyday, lipstick is MAKE UP FOR EVER’s Rouge Artist Natural in N9. I love the quality, the moisturizing formula and how it just gives a little pick-me-up to my natural lip color. So I was not surprised when I tried on the Aqua Rouge lipstick and was blown away by the quality and long lasting wear. The first time I wore it was to a party where I was constantly sipping a cocktail and not one spec of that lipstick came off on my glass the entire night. That was the night I also realized that limited-edition Shade 50 is MY color. It packed just the right punch of sass without making me look like I had tried on my mothers lipstick. So basically no one buy it so I can purchase every last set. Just kidding, but not really. I would recommend this set to all and especially the Aqua Rouge lipsticks from MAKE UP FOR EVER. It is the perfect lipstick for all day wear, and special events where you need long lasting coverage.

From left to right: Aqua Lip lip pencil in Matte Raspberry 10C; Aqua Rouge lipstick in Limited Edition Shade 50; Shade 50 with Clear; and Lab Shine lip gloss in D4 Shimmering Grenadine

From left to right: Aqua Lip lip pencil in Matte Raspberry 10C; Aqua Rouge lipstick in Limited Edition Shade 50; Shade 50 with Clear; and Lab Shine lip gloss in D4 Shimmering Grenadine

The second item I picked up was the Desire Me Cheek Set. This set includes three Artist Shadow blushes in I-526, I-808, S-748, a Travel Precision blush brush in 150 and an exclusive keepsake pouch. The set also includes a pamphlet on techniques and backstage secrets from the set of Fifty Shades of Grey movie. The set is designed to let you go from a healthy innocent glow to seductive flush of desire and everything in between.

Desire Me Cheek Set

Desire Me Cheek Set – Three Artist Shadow blush in I-526, I-808, S-748; Travel Precision blush brush in 150; and Exclusive keepsake pouch.

My favorite shade has been I-808 which I like to use on my brow bone and then also mixed with the S-748 on my cheeks. The S-748 is a lovely color but on my skin tone it looks a bit orange by itself which is why I combine it with the I-808.

Desire Me Cheek Set

From left to right: I-526; I-808; and S-748.

The one set I have not yet purchase because firstly its pricey and second I have just not been able to justify it is the Give In To Me Makeup Kit. This set comes with four Artist Shadow palette in I-514, ME-612, S-556, I-625; a Graphic eyeliner; a Smoky Extravagant mascara; a Rouge Artist Natural lipstick in N4; a Lab Shine lip gloss in D14; and an exclusive keepsake box. As the movie release draws closer I find I have less and less self control and may cave in and buy it.

Please let me know your thoughts on these products and the MAKE UP FOR EVER brand in general.  Also let me know if you decide to go out and purchase these items after reading this. I love to know that I am not alone in my Sephora or Fifty Shades obsession. Be sure to come back next Saturday for my next Sephora Saturday post.

Call Me Ishmael | Part 2

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His silent departure no longer bothered me like it used to. The first time he appeared in my room did startle me and it took about two weeks and a few visits to a therapist to convince myself I wasn’t crazy. I turn back to the stack of cardboard boxes and resign myself to a day of unpacking.
My move to London about a month ago had been surprisingly smooth for a last minute decision. My family did not take the news well but they understood. My mother had been the first and only person, besides the therapist, that I told about seeing him again. It was my mothers idea that I seek the help of a therapist first and then when I found out about the dream marketing job that could take me across the Atlantic ocean and away from all my memories of him it was her who told me to go. I think she thought that I could leave him behind and I did for about a week and then he showed up again in my new apartment and I decided to stop running. His presence had become comforting even though I knew it was unhealthy.
The unpacking took the rest of the day and he didn’t come back until I returned from bring the boxes down to the recycling. He was sitting on my couch staring at the wall so I walked over and sat next to him without saying anything. We just sat there both staring at the wall, neither of us talking, neither of us needing to as we both just found comfort in the silence together. My stomach growling is what eventually broke the quiet and I got up to fix myself a sandwich in the kitchen.
“It is so strange never being hungry.” he says as I close the refrigerator. He has moved from his position on the couch to a stool at my kitchen island.
“I wish I knew what that felt like. I would be a lot skinnier.” I say trying to lighten his mood.
“You don’t need to be any skinnier you are beyond beautiful just the way you are. Besides you have lost weight this past month. I suppose that is my fault. You always forget to eat when I am around.” as I come around the counter and take the empty seat next to him. He turns so we are facing each other and smiles at my sandwich.
“Peanut butter & jelly?” He says with a smirk.
“Hey,” I say with a frown “ I haven’t had time to grocery shop and I only have this cause mom sent it from the states.”
He doesn’t say anything and continues to sit silently next to me as I force down the sandwich and a glass of water. Once I finish I clean the dishes and put them away. He follows me around the house as I get ready for bed. Tomorrow is Monday which means back to work so I take extra time setting out my outfit and organizing my bag. The firm I work for is full of young professionals, almost all from the UK and so I find myself attempting to blend in with them as much as possible. This means putting extra thought into my clothes and accessories so that I don’t scream American.
“You are working tomorrow?” he asks.
“Yes.” I say and see him frown.
I change into my pajamas and climb into bed, turning off the bedside lamp. He is barely visible in the dark laying atop the covers so I turn to lay on my side facing him. He reaches over and pulls the comforter up to cover my shoulder.
“Don’t go.” I say fighting to keep my eyes open.
He reaches out and tucks some stray hair behind my ear. I lean forward into his touch instinctively moving my hand up and over to where his chest should be and feel the top of my quilted comforter. I open my eyes and he’s gone.

If you like this post be sure to check out the Daily prompt post that started it all here “DAILY PROMPT | Call Me Ishmael” and be sure to follow Lost Girl if you want to continue the story.

Give ‘Em What They Want

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If my blog was a baby it would be a newborn who had to spend a month in the NICU before going home. I started it this past November because I needed an outlet for some of my feelings and thoughts I didn’t get a lot of traffic until January when I started Blogging 101. Naturally thanks to Blogging 101 and all the wonderful people I have connected to through that January was my highest traffic month to date. My goal is to double the traffic for February.

Here are the top 3 most popular pages & posts on my blog:

  1. Home page / Archives
  2. About
  3. An Uninspired Lost Girl

Having my home page come in first was not a surprise as I tend to share links directly to my blog as opposed to a specific post. However the fact that my About page came in at number 2 was a big surprise. I never thought that many people who visited my blog would care to read my About page. Knowing this means I will definitely be updating it soon and adding some more content. If you have some suggestions on what you would like to read on my about page please let me know.

Coming in at number 3 was my post An Uninspired Lost Girl. This was a post in response to an assignment in Blogging 101. I did not think this was a particularly extraordinary post but looking back at the comments I can see how the honestly behind it really resonated with some people. This post really showcases my feelings behind blogging and how much I rely on it to provide me growth in my everyday life.

I would appreciate any and all feedback on the above listed pages/posts and even the posts that didn’t make the top three. Thank you to those of you who have already provided some amazing feedback it is truly appreciated and helps my blog grow.

Versatile Blogger Award

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Thank you Janet Berridge for the nomination! My deepest gratitude for the nomination and encourage my readers to check out her blog SpanishMossSeries. These awards are given by peers to recognize each other for a job well done, keep us motivated to continue writing and in this particular situation share their versatility.

We also use these awards as ways to pay-it-forward to other bloggers that we have found to be putting in the time and effort to create great blogs.

Nominees, here are the rules:

  • Show the award on your blog
  • Thank the person who nominated you
  • Share seven facts about yourself
  • Nominate 10 blogs
  • Link your nominees’ blogs, and let them know

Seven Facts About Lost Girl:

  • Favorite Color: Pink
  • Favorite Food: Queso
  • Favorite Human: David Burdwood
  • This is her first attempt at blogging.
  • She falls asleep to Phineas & Ferb every night.
  • Just moved to Florida from Massachusetts, originally from Maine.
  • Engaged to her high school sweetheart (celebrating 10 years in March).

Lost Girl Nominates:

The Lost Girl Blogs 3 Goals for 2015

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  1. Get 1026 followers (cause that seems like a nice number).
  2. Make lasting friendships with other bloggers.
  3. Chat with other bloggers from at least 8 other countries outside of my own.

Why do you blog?

This question is remarkably difficult to answer because the reason I started blogging is different than the reason I have continued to blog and why I plan to keep blogging.
 
To make this quick I blog because I have a lot to say that does not necessarily fit into my day to day human interactions. By blogging I am able to share what I have to say when I want to say it and the readers can choose when they want to read it. 
 
I also blog to share things that I otherwise would never share with those around me. This is all about bravery. One day I hope that I can be as brave offline as I am online. 
 
 

If your blog exceeded your wildest dreams, what would that look like?

My dreams aren’t usually ‘wild’ per say just a bit ostentatious. Ideally the blog design would be completely customized by yours truly. I don’t pay my student loans every month so someone else can design my blog. Though I know the more followers the better I would be happy with a cool million. Anymore would just be ridiculous. I would be able to live off my blog, aka pay my student loans, by posting everyday and starting my own brand. My life goal is to have my own line of nail polish, every shade would be created and named by me and reflect the content of my blog and ultimately my personality. If  that happened it would definitely exceed my current dreams. Which are limited to paying off my student debt before I die and being happy. 

Sephora Satur… I mean Sunday

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While I planned on getting my first Sephora Saturday post up on time sometimes life just gets in the way. So the first Sephora Saturday post has turned into a Sephora Sunday post.

I went to my local Sephora on Friday night with a friend because she really needed to pick up a few new items. While I wasn’t really shopping for anything myself I always find something I must have. This week I was introduced to the Sephora Collection Colorful Eyeshadow Custom Palette Case and MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Eyes.

The SC Custom Palette case comes in a 3-shade palette and a 6-shade palette but I decided to go with the 3-shade. My everyday routine includes an eye shadow look that typically is 3 neutral shades as I have blue eyes. I like to try new shades but am not interested in the large palettes with multiple colors I know I will never use. This seemed like a great alternative and I get to choose my own shades and Sephora has many to chose from. Also Sephora has a deal where if you purchase 2 or more shadows you get the 3-shade palette for free (a $12 dollar savings) and if you purchase 4 or more shadows you the the 6-shade palette for free (a $14 dollar savings).

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The shadow shades I chose were: Girl talk N45, Safari N95, Sirens charm N111. My plan is to use the Girl talk on the inner of my eye as a highlight since it is a beautiful champagne color with sparkles, then use the Safari across most of my eye lid, and finally blend the Sirens charm across the brow bone and into the eyelid.

SS Post 1

The other item I picked up was the MAKE UP FOREVER Aqua Eyes waterproof eye liner in the shade Turquoise 7L. This turquoise is so stunning I won’t even try to describe it, GO SEE IT IN PERSON. It is a beautiful blue with some sparkle and I would recommend it to everyone. This eyeliner with set you back $19.00 but since it is MAKE UP FOREVER it is totally worth the price. This brand is very quickly becoming my go to as their products are truly professional, long lasting and come in many diverse shades.

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So my recommendation at this point is for you all to head to Sephora right now and try these products for yourself. After all you can’t believe everything you read.

An Uninspired Lost Girl

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There are days, times where I have either been completely uninspired to write anything about anything and then there are days, times where I feel so lost in my own problems that I think writing and posting would be a complete mistake.

I’m afraid.

I do not want the blogging community to think I am negative, but I want to be real. I do not want them to only hear from me on my good days and think of me as someone who only has good days. I want to be able to share the good days, the bad days and the ugly days.

But I’m afraid.

I want to be able to share all of me. I want people to understand me and I want to understand them. I want to be able to share my ‘I’m sorry but I don’t feel like feeling that way today’ attitude without having to say I’m sorry. Because I’m not sorry.

I’m afraid.

I am just who I am on whichever day you find me. And Tuesday will be different than Wednesday which will be different than Saturday.

But I want to be brave. I will try to be brave because I know you are out there. You. The person who will find me in this vast blogging universe and read my blog and say “Yes. I am not alone.”

I will be brave for you. So come find me.

This post is in response to the Blogging 101: Be Inspired by the Neighbors daily task. I expanded on my comment on The Endeavors of Everyday Life blog post called “Having The Wobbles And Inspiring Blogs (While Feeling Utterly Uninspired)” which you can find here.

Blogging 101 – Assignment #4

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Today’s Assignment: publish a post for your dream reader, and include a new-to-you element in it.

This assignment I found difficult because of what I know to expect when dealing with an online community. Unfortunately I think my dream reader is just what the name implies, a dream. My dream reader turned out to be a carbon copy of me which could turn out to be a complete nightmare. I went for it anyway and here are the results.

My dream reader would be anyone who reads my blog and can agree, relate, understand some of the crazy, rude, irrational, and sometimes inappropriate thoughts that I share. This ‘dream reader’ would totally love and understand my need to one day rant about how much I hate people who can’t drive and the next day rave about my newest Sephora purchase.

I am an onion. There are so many layers that make me who I am and I want my ‘dream reader’ to appreciate that. The only thing they can expect when reading my blog everyday is the unexpected. Since I blog when I am happy, sad, angry, excited and every variation in between you never know what your going to get. This blog is all about what goes on in my head and my ‘dream reader’ wants to get inside my head and know me better than anyone without judgement.

I want my blog to be a place I can go and share how I really feel unedited and without restraint. My ‘dream reader’ needs to appreciate that regardless of whether they agree or not.