Friday Favorites......Beauty Tips and Favorite Looks

happy friday!

(actually, i thought it was Thursday when i woke up)

i was so convinced that when i saw "Friday" on the morning paper,

i thought they made a mistake!

duh......

i'm just a little freaked out cause

that means it's LESS than a week till Miss Taylor Ballerina

heads to Boston Ballet for 5 weeks.

YIKES!

i can't think about that right now.

because.......

i have to show you a few of my favorites!

beauty tips:

i love when i see something demonstrated so simply,

 like these eyes...

~simply natural eye shadow

light shadow on the lid, light/med brown in the crease,

touch of black eyeliner on top lid and smudged brown shadow liner lightly under the eye, followed by black mascara.

 talk about timeless.

(one make up artist says lining the top with black and the bottom with brown creates a soft, sexy eye.  so there you go:)

~this next eye is obviously more dramatic but the step by step photos are so clear,

no need for words:)

~layer your eyeliner

liquid eyeliners are popular,

but this pro says they are too hard for the average user to apply accurately.

ahem.....she must mean me:)

anyway, she suggests layering eyeliner to get a precise look and stay put wear.

start with an eye pencil and apply to eyelid.  

then put liquid eyeliner on top, following the line you

already drew.

supposedly it's perfect and lasts! 

~make-up brushes

according to total beauty,

we only need basic makeup brushes.

1.  Foundation Brush (?)

2.  Concealer Brush

3.  Fluffy Powder Brush

4.  Blush Brush

5.  Small Blending Brush

6.  Flat eye brush

7.  Precision angle brush

8.  Lip Brush

i guess you could say that means i don't need the other 10

 i must have floating around:)

~get rid of blemishes with vinegar?

that's what they say!

apparently you mix one part apple cider vinegar with

10 parts water. 

put it in a clean glass container and after washing your face.

dab the solution on your blemishes with a cotton ball.

you can apply it several time/day without drying  out your skin.

vinegar helps adjust the PH balance in your skin, treating and preventing blemishes.

go figure!

worth a try:) 

~toe nails

How to get white nails -- make a paste using 1 tbsp peroxide

 and 2 1/4 tbsp baking soda. 

Let this paste sit on your nails for 5 minutes and voila!

 White nails! Totally works!

moving on to my favorite looks.......

i love her hair.

so pretty!

the hair i would have if i could.

but mine is too short.

not straight at all.

and my husband would probably ask me what's wrong with my hair.

but i love it:)

~boho purse/handbag

by the way, which is it?  purse or handbag?)

i grew up calling it a purse.

my grandma called it a pocketbook.

and it seems most people i know down here call it a handbag.

whatever, i LOVE this boho/gypsyish

 purse/handbag/pocketbook!

can't you just see it with jeans, sandals and a white tank top?

(my favorite look:)

speaking of favorite looks,

i am such a casual person.

i would wear jeans everyday of the week.

(and pretty much do:)

so it's no surprise that these 4 looks have a pair of jeans.

starting with my favorite look right now.......

cute, cute, CUTE!

and what do i love about the second one?

jeans, of course.

paired with a dressy/glitzy tank top in cream.

all the gold (i'm into gold or rose gold these days)

basically just all the natural colors mixed with denim!

the one above is a great go to a movie or shopping outfit.

the jeans are the PERFECT shade of faded denim 

and the natural tan sandals and purse are

perfectly.....NATURAL:)

this last one i must have "pinned" 10 times.

every time i see it i love it more!

if i can't wear cream/white with my denim,

give me soft grey!

 but the shoes are not me.

cute, but not me:)

and LASTLY, the most perfect beauty tips of all time......

 CIAO!

Suzanne

What I Learned This Week...

I haven't done one of these in awhile and since I I've learned some things recently, thought I'd give it a try. This is what I've learned this week...

~I learned that sometimes you have to step away from the computer once in awhile to take care of life...be a mom, help someone who needs it...and just recharge in general. I did that this week (as all of you know who left me comments and emails and I have yet to answer...so sorry:-) And to take this a step further...it felt good. It felt really good...and I highly recommend it if you need a break:-) I read a long book (for me) from start to finish, fit in some exercise, reworked my eating habits, helped my girls with school and had some nice talks with my husband at night when I am usually too tired or on this thing.

~I learned that I consume waaaaayyy too much sugar in the course of a day. Carbs too, but who doesn't! No wonder I am tired and struggle to even lose 2 lbs. I cut back on calories, exercise...nothing. But when I started tracking my carbs and sugar and limiting them to good carbs and only 15 grams of sugar, I realised that I take in over 50 grams of sugar with my coffee and breakfast alone. Yikes!!!! After one week of cutting back and eating healthier, I feel better already...and lost 4 lbs. I doubt I will ever stick to anything forever but it is good to be aware of this so after having too much sugar for whatever reason (Holidays...) I know how to get back on track. (And we all know about the good carb/bad carb stuff, right?)

~I learned that sometimes adults are thoughtless and do stupid things to kids. That always surprises me. I see this all the time, from the competitive moms who put other kids down to make their kids look good to insensitive ones who just don't think...but it still surprises me. This happened to one of my daughters recently and as we talked about it, I found myself saying what I say all too often... "Sometimes the only thing you can do is learn from their behavior and don't act like them when you are an adult." But you know what...I teach them not to act like that as a kid so maybe some adults still need to grow up:-)

~Which brings me to the next topic which will probably also bring me hate mail. Is there anybody else out there who thinks facebook is not the great communicator people claim it to be but a weird way to relive highschool...AT BEST? I suppose there are those who use FB and Twitter in a good way but it seems like there is so much "look at me, look at my kid, this is where we went on vacation, this is where we ate dinner"...every day. I love my friends and family as much as the next person but it seems kind of competitive, or something. I know we do some of that on our blogs but it is not every second of our day and every thought that crosses our mind. (Some of the status updates are just plain stupid...who cares if you are at a red light and trying to decide between Taco Bell and Wendy's?????????) And then there are the status updates which have the subtlety of a 100lb brick sometimes. And I won't even touch the amount of snooping into other peoples lives and gossiping about it...yep, high school to me. I have concluded, along with a few others in my life, that FB does not in any way make me a better person so to quote "The Sharks" (my favorite new show:-)...Count me out!

And now for a few quickies...
~I learned that Truvia is the most amazing sweetener. (Other than good ol sugar but we already went there:-)
~I learned that it is hard to find a pair of jeans. Wait...I'm sure I've learned that MANY times:-)
~I learned that there is nothing like a new set of sheets and a fluffy comforter. Now if only I could get my dog off the bed to let me enjoy it:-)
~I learned, or maybe I was reminded, how much I love to read.
~I learned that my old house, the one I loved and it broke my heart to leave...is going up for sale. Hmmm...better not touch that one...but you know it's killing me:-) Can you ever go back? I'd sure be willing to try!
~I learned that Mondays are not so bad if you do a little planning on Sunday.
And speaking of Sunday, I'll leave you with a thought our pastor said at church yesterday. I've thought about it a lot and it is so true...

"The worst day of your life is still better than the best day in the life of most people in the world". Think about it... I know where my next meal wil come from, don't live in a war zone and do not fear being physically abused today, just to name a few horrible scenarios. So I am wishing you a wonderful day and a prayer for those whose days are likely to be much worse than mine, no matter what.
XOXOX SUZANNE

Memory Lane...Favorite Clothes

I love faded blue jeans, especially if they are soft, even ripped-out, frayed denim. To me, this is my perfect outfit and on most days, you will find me wearing a pair with a tank top and cute (hopefully) flip-flops. Add a few patches and look what you have...

But my all-time favorite was inherited from my sister, Debbie. They were a pair of denim bib-overalls that I must have worn when I was about 12 or 13. She had hand-embroidered stuff all over them and they were SOOOOOOOO CUTE!!!!!!! Finally, a hand-me-down I couldn't wait to get my hands on. I can't believe we didn't keep them. My girls would love them...I think:-) Anyway, I just had the great idea to embroider a pair of their ripped, faded jeans. Our very own pair of "sisterhood of the traveling pants":-) How about you...what is your all-time favorite outfit? A prom dress, first bikini, school jersey???

(P.S. This is not me in the jeans...I wish!!!!!)