New Job: Pro's and Con's

There are tons of pro's to my job.

I get to help women who are truly extreme conservatives with makeup because it scares them try something new and different,
I get to do makeup for proms and dates,
I get to show women new techniques and tricks on how to apply makeup,
and my absolute favorite part of my new job is to see women light up with happiness and confidence when they feel beautiful because of a little change of makeup.

And the solitary downside to my job:

I constantly have makeup stains on my hand from hours and hours of demonstrating colors for eyeliners, lip liners, lipsticks/lipgloss/chubby sticks, foundation, and concealer!

This is after TWO hand washing's and trying makeup remover!

All in all, LOVING life at City Creek Nordstrom

First Day at Clinique

Here is what I wore:

Sorry I've been MIA for so long, it's been a busy transition and a couple things completely unexpected have come up on top of a new job so my stress level has been pretty high. I'll update you all in a day or so about the new changes happening for our little family. But in the meantime I'm loving life at Nordstrom and Clinique, I really think I've found my niche!

Come say hi if you're ever at City Creek!

p.s. please disregard the dirty laundry basket in the background...there's always more where that came from.

Nordies Promotion

Sorry for my February Funk...its been a busy couple of weeks and seasonal depression has definitely descended on our house, but I'm ready to get back into normal daily routines including blogging. I wanted to spill the beans on my big news and exciting opportunity as one of my many fresh starts.

After only seven months working for Nordstrom and one promotion within my department, I have been offered another promotion as a Clinique Specialist at the City Creek Nordstrom. I am completely head-over-heels over this new opportunity and challenge! It's definitely going to put me out of my comfort zone, but will be absolutely rewarding as I learn new concepts and tasks. My first day is the 20th of this month, which only gave me a little over a week to say goodbye to my team but it's a good goodbye.

Come see me at City Creek, for really anything if even to just say Hello!

Bonus: one more thing scratched off my Bucket List!

Pinterest Pin Test: DIY better than shellac nails

For any girl with chronically chipping nails you know yourself how exacerbating it is to have them chip the same day you paint them. And I've also been amongst those who drop $20 plus to have fake nails put on monthly so I didn't have to worry about re-painting my nails on a daily basis. When Shellac nails became popular I got rather excited to only be disappointed. Not even they could last more than five days and they still cost $20 plus per set.

Well wait no more, because I tested this pin out for the past week and my own DIY home gel nail set are still going strong. I found this idea here, and was even more happy that I wouldn't have to buy a stupid UV lamp, plus splurging lots of money of special nail polish's for a shellac set and not mentioning the top and bottom coats: only one $5.99 product was needed because I could use it with my own favorite polish color.

Necessary Items:
favorite nail polish
Gelous Advance Nail Gel Coat (available at Sally's)
Quick Drying Top Coat

Steps:
1. Layer of Gel 
2. Layer of color
3. Second layer of color
4. Layer of Gel
5. Layer of quick dry top coat
6. Let dry and enjoy!

You can bet I'll be doing this from now on! No more wasting money at Nail Salons for something I can do myself.

June Girl's Party 2012

I had a really hard time figuring out what I wanted to wear for the girl's party this year because typically it's outside and HOT. So I wanted something light and breezy, and I was overjoyed when I found this keeper of a dress at H&M for a really good price and then happened upon this super cute flower belt to match! But then we were inside after all so oh well. At least I got a great sunday dress out of it.

 This was probably the fastest game ever! Funny thing, my present which I showed you was definitely the cutest I thought and my mil fought for it tooth and nail. And she got it!

Isn't that the prettiest bird feeder you've seen? Unfortunately this picture doesn't do it justice but it's multicolored stained glass. I love girl's parties we just need to get more ladies there that are feisty and want to fight for the presents. It's less fun when people are nice over the presents. I've got to think of my present for December now. Any ideas?

Prepping for the weekend

This weekend sure is going to be crazy busy! We've got a shooting/smores date tonight, I've got the semi-annual girls party Saturday, and a few couples over for Cafe Rio sunday dinner at our apartment and I'm cooking the pork and dessert. Oh goodness, I bit off a bit more than I can chew!

Yes, that's a hat box. Cute huh?!

P.S. Check out my totally gorgeous wrapping of my Girl's Party white elephant present. And no, I can't tell you what it is since a couple of the ladies that attend read this blog. So you'll have to wait with baited breath. Do you think you would fight for this present over the others based off its wrapping? I do have to say that I put a LOT of effort into the wrapping of my present this party. For my very first Girl's Party two years ago I wrapped it in newspaper! Needless to say, no one really fought for my present as the more intricate the wrapping, the more desirable the present is.

Dreaming of Gardens

I like to fancy myself as a rather adept green thumb, if you couldn't tell from my coming out of the closet announcement. Once thing I'm super overjoyed about, is my vegetable that actually have flourished since my seed garden.

Doesn't that just make you happy? I can't wait for the day when I have my own private porch or (gasp!) backyard even! What will I do with all that space? Plants loads of peony bushes, tall glorious trees, and a strawberry patch.

My newly planted raspberry bushes, strawberry plants, and tomato plants

 Let's be honest, what childhood memory do you have that doesn't include a great big tree? I swear I was part monkey the way I climbed in my tree house and read books in the swing. Wouldn't you love to be seven to eight again? I would.

More tomato plants, we love our tomato's!

Its all worked out, but only because we've got such an understanding landlord. Thank goodness he doesn't care! What summer activities are you looking forward to? Gardening?

Summer lovin' pallette

It's obvious, this summer-if not year's-trend colors are the salmon-y orange and mint green. And it's become evident in just about anything. But I particularly L.O.V.E the mint green. It's just so refreshing!

And since Honolulu just become home to two new TJMaxx's, mom and I decided we should just case out the joint...inconspicuously of course. Well, we didn't succeed since we trekked out quite a couple bags to the parking lot later. Mom and me made quite the dent in our wallets, and it was worth it.

But you all would be proud of me. The only clothing item I bought was this fabulous mint green shirt for a steal which I wore to the mall today and browsed my dream store

Forgive the iPhone quality please

...along with a bunch of workout clothes. I don't know what it is that's so refreshing about buying sports bra's and runner's shorts, but I love it. And I've been putting them to good use here in HI. Three days left until I see if my training at sea level has been in vain. Until then aloha!

Heaven sent spring

With this completely radical weather from warm weather that resembles summer to snow in the past two weeks, the poor flora of Utah is slightly confused. But thank goodness the snow didn't ruin the neighborhood cherry blossom trees. I run under them each morning and they are just a heavenly sight and smell! I go three blocks out of my way just to run underneath them. Do you have something you look forward to in your workouts like my blossom trees?

But the good news that accompanies the beautiful spring blossoms is that is in now safe weather to wear white again. White is the new black after all.

With all this fashion craze of neon and pastel colored pants everywhere, all I wanted was some great white skinnies. White pants will still be cutting edge lasting through the fashion whirlwind, while I'd bet my two front teeth these neon pants will be a fashion taboo in a year or so. Oh heaven, I love spring. It's definitely my favorite because of the flowers coming to life, peep toed sandals with pedicures, and breaking out the short sleeve shorts. Don't go away too soon spring!

P.S. These white skinnies were only TEN BUCKS from H&M. Another reason to add to the list of why I love that store.

Build on a good Foundation

Since posting some self portraits with my face all done up for once, I had a couple readers email me asking what kind of foundation I used. I will admit openly that I only use it rarely, and mainly for pictures because I originally bought mine when I was a bit tanner so it makes me look a bit orange in this white skinned time.

However the Cargo blu_ray foundation is quite truthfully my favorite makeup purchase I made when I got married. I bought it precisely for all the wedding pictures and it did not fail. I felt and still feel with pictures I take, that my foundation is flawless and without feeling pasty or melty like a basic liquid foundation that I preferred before this powder.

It is pricy, but to me definitely worth the cost especially if you feel that your complexion needs help especially in photographs.

Price: $30
Comes in 4 base colors and can be manipulated with highlighter powder or bronzer
Pros: Great for photos and make skin look flawless
Cons: If you have greasy skin, like any makeup it makes your face oily faster

Overall, a 5 out of 5 rating. I will definitely stick with this foundation for a long time.

 Bridals sometime in May 2010

p.s. It's the first day of SPRING! Can I get a halleluiah! 

spring fling

This weekend I had a little bit too much romance with the idea that spring is in the air and coming permanently soon. Of course, knowing Utah weather I know this is a mean mean trick that gets played every year until about May. But I had to give in a little.

Or a lot.

Happy trick spring everyone!

Swimwear Favorites 2012

It's that time of year again when all the cute swimsuits come out even though its snowing outside! And I'm jumping on the bandwagon early since I'll need some for our second Hawaiian trip in APRIL! Of course to celebrate my parents coming home in July, and graduating from BYU in August. A little out of order, but oh well.

Bows are big this season

And so are stripes

But one thing I'm head over heels for is ruffles. Ruffles add just a bit more femininity to some of these swimsuits that can show every little crease and line.

Two trends I am seeing everywhere that I think it really appealing is more sweetheart necklines vs. triangle bikinis and thicker swim bottoms vs. string bikini bottoms. How refreshing that we can have cute swimsuits without worrying about everything falling out!

Any great swimwear finds? I would really love any suggestions.

Colored Skinnies Project: What was I thinking?!

Sorry this has taken me SOOO long to post. I've just loved wearing these skinnies so its been hard to catch them when they're clean and when I have time to go take some photos in them. But here they are finally!

So this definitely may have been the craft project that went over my head...I had a couple mistakes but nothing serious. It just took all stinking week LONG. So all those cute trendy colored skinnies have been speaking to me in all these multiple store windows...but their price tags haven't. For ex.

Nordstroms BP $42

Gap $70

Express $65

I had really written off ever getting a pair because a married lady only working part time can barely make ends meet to afford the bills...but when I found a pair of corduroy pants at the Gap Outlet for only $7 the little cogs in my mind got turning. And then I found some perfect purple burgundy clothing dye at the store for only $3 so altogether with some added effort and work I got exactly what I wanted for a fraction of the cost and I love it just that much more because I made them myself!

So I started with these tan bootcut cords...

that I got at the Gap outlet for $6. The first step was dye-ing them because the fabric had to be pushed, stretched, and washed multiple times after dye-ing them.

I used dye I really liked the color of from Walmart for $3 making the total of my spent cost on this project under ten dollars. Go me! The next step i.e. issue was that I wanted skinnies and these were bootcut. The good news was that I had a pair of Gap skinnies from last year that I love, so I used them for a trace comparison to know where to sew the pant legs in.

And this is the end result...

After some practice shots and my husband yelling, "I hate this!" we got some good ones. I'll make a photographer out of him yet!

Desolation Peak to SLC Overlook

Jared and I played on monday instead of being responsible adults and going to class. We decided it was high time to take Adeline on an extended hike, and boy did she enjoy it! We are planning on making hiking a more frequent activity for our family.

Four hours of hiking in ankle deep snow left my feet frozen, and both of us very worn out, but Adi had a total blast. If you didn't know any better you'd think we white-washed her, but now she kept chasing the little bunching of snow balls from our footsteps. She's a crazy little stinker but we love her! Any good hikes you love that allow dogs?

Fashion Alert: Gap Outlet

For all those chic girls who LOVE sales on top of sales, today is the LAST DAY to get an extra 30% off anything and everything at the Gap Outlet.



All you have to do is enter NEWYOU at checkout and cha-ching. I have to admit I already indulged in not one but two pairs of these cream cords that were not ten dollars, but $6!

What could I possibly want two for you ask? Well, I'm going to be making my own colorful cords in the next week or so, so stay tuned! This could be the craft project that is over my head...