Monday, March 30, 2009

Spring Greens Using Aromaleigh Spring Solstice Shadows

March 30, 2009 9:01 pm

Spring Greens Using Aromaleigh Spring Solstice Shadows

Here’s a look using Aromaleigh’s Spring Solstice eyeshadows from the samples that I got a few weeks ago. Before I do that, don’t forget to enter Aromaleigh’s contest to get a chance to win a full set of full sized jars of Aromaleigh’s Spring Solstice collection. CLICK HERE for the mechanics of the contest.

Here’s a step-by-step illustration on this springy look. All items Aromaleigh products unless otherwise indicated.


Apply MAC Butternutty shadestick all over lid, brows, and lower lashline. Smooth product on the lid with finger. Using a fluffy shader brush, apply Greenstroke paint pot on lid. Doesn’t have to be perfect.


Using a flat, stiff shader brush like the MAC 239, apply Greenbrier on the lid foiled using MAC Charged Water.


Using the other side of the same brush, apply Heartleaf on the inner to mid-lid dry using quick patting motions.


Apply Chantal dry on the outer V using another shader brush. Blend into the other shadows using the Sonia Kashuk blender brush.


Apply BackinBlack on the crease and outer V dry sparingly using a stiff shader brush and blend the colors together using the Sonia Kashuk blender brush. Using the MAC 224 brush, apply MAC Brule shadow on the borders of the shadows above the crease to blend out harsh lines. Apply a matte highlighter to the browbone (used one of the colors at the Coastal Scents 28 piece Neutral palette).


Line eyes using MAC Penultimate liquid liner in Rapidblack. Apply Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero to rim eyes. Using MAC 316 brush, apply Trillium on inner lower lashline, and Chantal on outer lower lashline. Apply Revlon false lashes in Intensifying. Apply mascara.

Face:
Monistat gel as primer
MAC Prep + Prime Skin Refined Zone mattifier and pore reducer
Earthen Glow mineral foundation in Yuan Yuan
MAC Studio Sculpt concealer in NC20
Dayna’s Rested mineral undereye concealer
DreamWorld Whipped Cocoon (silk finishing powder) in Whipped Strawberries
MAC mineral blush in Warm Soul
MAC mineralize skinfinish in Refined over blush

Lips:
MAC lipliner in Whirl
MAC lipstick in Lollipop Loving
Aromaleigh lipgloss in Gosh (discontinued)

Luxe Vs. Less Skin Care

March 30, 2009 9:01 pm

Luxe Vs. Less Skin Care



TotalBeauty.com
Luxe vs. Less Skin Care

Find out what products to splurge on and when to save your hard-earned dollars

You don’t have to spend half your paycheck on skincare products to stay wrinkle and pimple-free. That said, slathering household condiments on your face to avoid paying for the good stuff isn’t necessary either. Dermatologist Dr. Ava Shamban and P&G scientist Mary Begovic Johnson helped us compare products with similar ingredients that are very different in cost. Here’s what we found.

See products

Get A Chance To Win A Full Set of Aromaleigh's Spring Solstice Collection

March 30, 2009 9:01 pm

Get A Chance To Win A Full Set of Aromaleigh's Spring Solstice Collection

I just checked out how many entries have the label “Aromaleigh” here in my blog. There were 48 entries with Aromaleigh labels, and this is going to be the forty-ninth one. Forty-nine labels! That just shows how much I like this brand. Well Kristen of Aromaleigh is holding a contest where one can get a chance to win a full set of full-sized jars of Aromaleigh’s Spring Solstice shadows!! I am pasting the contest mechanics prizes below:


Here’s how to enter. This is a “viral” contest, in which you’ll be posting about Aromaleigh and this contest on your blogs, social networks, forums you visit, myspace bulletins, facebook, vox blogs, etc, etc.

You may enter 3 times- which means that you can post about this event in three different places. To enter, make your post in your blog/forum/community/etc of choice, which has to include a link to http://www.aromaleigh.com home page, or the Spring Solstice collection page: http://www.aromaleigh.com/nespsoliedey.html

Then, come back to the contest post at our WORDPRESS BLOG and leave a comment including where you posted your entry and the link.

Please use your real email address when you post (no one else can see this info but me) so that I can get in touch with you when we do the contest drawing. If you enter a bad email address, and you win- then I can’t get in touch with you. CapicĂ©?

What do you need to post to have a valid entry? Something about Aromaleigh. Perhaps why you like it and why you want to win this contest. Let others know about the contest so that they can have a chance to check it out, too. And you’ve got to include the url.

I’ll go and check each entry to validate it, and in the very beginning of April, I will collect all entries and hold a video drawing that will be posted on my You Tube channel and here, in which I draw 5 winners. You’ll see it happen, real-time~!

So let’s get started… this is a fabulous chance to win one of five FULL SIZED sets of the Spring Solstice collection! This is a big dollar value item, and we’ve got FIVE of them to give away! So let’s start spreading the word about this contest and Aromaleigh.

This contest is open to customers worldwide!

So why do I want to win the Spring Solstice set? As I said in a previous entry, they are so pretty and the finish and texture are awesome. They are not as metallic as the Opulent Lustres (thank God!), and they have almost the same beautiful finish as the Valentine 2009 shadows that I loved. Watch out for Spring Solstice look that I will be posting soon.

Other reasons why I love Aromaleigh? Check out the forty-nine Labels here on my blog. (At the bottom of this entry are my tags. Click on the “Aromaleigh” one.) I think all those entries are a testament that I just don’t pretend to be a fan of Aromaleigh in order to win this contest.

You have a chance to win too! Spread the word via your own blogs, makeup forums, and your Facebook or MySpace pages. So what are you waiting for? Just follow the instructions and you’re good to go!

Bad Food

March 30, 2009 9:01 pm

Bad Food

In this day and age of heart disease, we all need to be careful. Did you know that 50% of men will die from heart disease? It is sad, but true. It is important that you watch what you eat. Not only if you are a body builder, but even if you aren’t one. All of us should be concerned about our diet and our health. Take some notes and make sure that you pay attention. I’m sure there will be a few items on this list that you never dreamed were bad for you.. Solid oils. You know what these are. Stuff like Crisco and other shortening.
I think that some people use them in place of lard and actually think it is better for them. If you are making a pie crust or something, skip the shortening and use the lard. Actually, the lard is better for you. People tend to use this kind of fat because it has a long shelf life. This stuff will stay good for ever. Personally, I hate the stuff. I can’t see why anyone would like it. I think it tastes awful and it feels awful in my mouth. Deep fried foods. You should avoid these like the plague. It is said that when something is deep fried, its DNA changes. I don’t know how true this is. I do know that deep fried foods have been linked to cancer.
Refined flour and store bought flour. This has been bleached and everything under the sun done to it. When this happens, all the good stuff from it is taken away. The reason why you are eating is, is been stolen from you. Stick with good whole wheat. That is what is best for you.
White rice. I would piss off most of the world if I said that you should never ever eat this stuff. Though, I have to say that brown rice is better for you. Brown rice has all the stuff white does and more. You can mix brown with white if you still aren’t used to eating the brown rice.
Sugar. This is a no brainer really. You should try to consume as little as you possibly have to. Also, fructose is a building block for cholesterol. Keep that in mind when you have your next can of soda.
Canned soups. These are almost always loaded with salt. If you want to buy these, make sure you get ones that are low in salt. If you have a craving for soup, see if your local deli makes soup. It will be lower in salt. That will make your heart happy.
Alfredo sauces. Don’t buy items with already made Alfredo sauce. Usally they are loaded with butter and salt. You don’t want any of that.
Processed meats. These tend to be high in fat and high in salt. They are a heart attack in a can.
Hydrogenated palm oils. Avoid anything that is made with these. These will give you a heart attack faster than eating a bucket of lard.
Lunchables and other items like them. They are loaded with salt and fat. I can’t believe any parent would give this junk to their kids.
What comes in, must come out. That is true with the food we eat. This might sound like a disgusting topic, but it is something that we should talk about. You can tell if your diet is high in fat by the stool you produce. If it sinks straight to the bottom, you are eating too much fat. You would think that fat would float, but it doesn’t when it is coming out. Your stool should float in the toilet bowl. If it does, it is a hint that you have a good diet. If it doesn’t, then you need to change what you are eating.
To remember this, I try to make up a little rhyme like what was heard during the final moments of the OJ trial. If it doesn’t float, you need to get off of the boat. Meaning, if it doesn’t float, you need to change your diet.

Healthy Life Style

March 30, 2009 9:01 pm

Healthy Life Style

Even though we all dread the thought, we all must think about our bodies at some point in our lifetime. I know for many years I either pushed it aside or felt uncomfortable thinking about it. It isn’t always an easy thing. I have never been uncomfortable with my appearance per se. I guess you could say the problem was that to identify my body, meant I had some responsibilities. Not only that, but sometimes things go wrong. When we live in a fast paced world the last thing we can afford is to have something go wrong with our bodies. The car is one thing, but our bodies are another. I don’t know at what age that I began to realize that my body was important.
I would say that it was probably latter on in life than what most people do. I have never really been the active type of person. Sure, I loved to go hiking and stuff like that, but I would never hit the gym. Well, some things never change.
Maybe it is because of age or maybe it is because of all the people around me are fat. Maybe it was a combination of those two things that made me start to think of my diet and my health. When you are young, you can eat fast food three meals a day and not feel it. When you start to get older, you begin to feel it more. I would like to think that my progression towards a healthy lifestyle was to make myself more healthy. On the other hand, I think it was because I was tired of feeling like shit. I am sure that you know exactly what I am talking about.
When your diet goes down hill, the rest of you goes along with it. Your sleeping patterns go to hell, your hair doesn’t look as good, and your skin looks like leather. I had always wondered why some people’s skin looked like a pair of old combat boots. Now I know why. So, what do you do? You are starting to feel over the hill but yet you don’t know how to change things. Change is the hardest thing to do in life. You should know, its not impossible. If you are a married man or have been in a long term relationship this will be easy for you. Chances are the old lady would like to shed a few pounds and firm up that once tight heart shaped ass that she once had.
You will be more successful if both of you do it. I’m not saying that you should expect perfection in this venture. Though if both of you are doing it, there won’t be those tubs of ice cream laying around to tempt you.
Where do you start? First I would suggest that you go to your doctor for a physical. Have some blood work taken and see how you are. If you haven’t done anything like this before, it is a good thing to do. He will check your cholesterol and all that stuff. Also if you have a health condition, you will want to talk about your diet and exercise plans with him before you do anything. You want to do this so that you don’t screw yourself up. If you have diabetes and you start a new diet, if not done right you can cause a lot of problems.
So, after you have things squared away with the doctor. I would suggest that you figure out what kind of diet you want to go on. I would suggest that you focus on a diet that is high in veggies and fruit. Cut back on the meat and the carbs and stick with as many fresh items as you can. This will help you loose weight. I would also suggest that you look into some type of exercise program. I would start out with walking or jogging and work your way from there. You and your old lady can do this together. Get a dog, they love to go on walks. This will give you motivation when it comes to taking your walks.
After you get used to walking, I would hit the gym. If you can afford a personal trainer, I would go that route. If you can’t, then I would start off by doing some swimming and doing the exercise bikes. You can also start out with the treadmill as well. I would continue to do your walks. Not only is this good exercise, but this is quality time with your old lady. You will come to enjoy the talks that you have during your walks. If you are over 40, I’m not sure how much I would push doing weight lifting. It might be something that you might want to look into. On the other hand, it will take your body some time to get used to lifting weights. For the first few weeks, you will feel like someone beat you to a pulp.
Personally, I hate lifting weights. I think it is a bit, well, boring. I think it is boring to stand or sit and just lift things for hours on end. If there is some hot chicks doing squats or something in front of me, that is another story all together. The main thing to understand is, change your diet, get more exercise, and listen to your doctor. If he gives you the green light to go ahead, then go ahead. If he gives any warnings, make sure that you listen to them.