[Beauty] Why Is No One Talking About This Product?

I've mentioned previously that I have really gotten into makeup and beauty products as of late. I've been watching all my favorite beauty gurus on YouTube and trying to teach myself how to be better at putting on my face.

With this new-found interest has come a bevy of new-to-me products. I generally stuck to the drugstore (knowing little about mid-range or high end products, period), but as I discovered the world of beauty bloggers and makeup vloggers, I started to expand my interests.

Now, I have a great mix of both drugstore and mid-to-high end stuff. I don't have much of the super high end lines (Chanel, Dior, Guerlain, YSL, Marc Jacobs, etc) - but I have tried a lot outside of those. There are products recommended by lots of ladies that I have tried and loved - Urban Decay shadows, Tarte lip products, BareMinerals Mineral Veil....but there is one product that recently I have been loving and no one in the blogging/vlogging world is talking about it!!!! And it's a drugstore find!

Here

It's the ELF High Definition Powder. I got mine at Target. This stuff is "pricier" for ELF - I say pricier because most of the line is $1-$3. But oh wow is it amazing. It feels like silk on my skin. It makes my face look airbrushed. It's easily a dupe for the BareMinerals Mineral Veil that sells for $20.

I'm shocked as to why no one else is talking about this?? Is it hard to find? Is it hidden among other more attractive items in the rack? I have no idea. But its praises must be sung. What about you? Have you tried it?

[Shopping] I'll Stop the World and Melt With You

I spent the first day of 2014 relaxing and doing minor things around the house. It's so nice to have the time to be able to do these kinds of things when I haven't had many days like that in a long time. It was also super nice to not wake up on New Year's Day and be hungover - it's probably been a few years since that was the case, as much as it makes me cringe to say that. I didn't get dressed until 4pm. And it's ok to have one of those kind of days every now and again!!

Along with some cleaning and some DVR-catching-up, I also ran out to pick up a few quick things (which is really why I even got dressed in the first place). As part of my new goal to start getting back in the gym, and as a precautionary measure for my runs, I wanted to buy an armband for my iPhone. I've been carrying my phone in my hand on runs, but after my little "incident" with my hubby's phone (I dropped it in a parking lot and shattered the screen), I'd like a little more security for it! I not only grabbed one on sale at Dick's Sporting Goods, I also picked up a few of the Under Armor hair bands I love.

New Armband!

So cute!

While I was out, I popped into Payless since it's right by Dick's and I have had my eye on these shoes for awhile. I saw they went on sale online and also saw they had my size at my local Payless.

Here

Online, they were on sale for $20 (from $40), but in store they didn't appear to be marked down. I asked the girl who was working and she said 90% of the time they can honor the online price (some very specific online sales can't be honored). I brought the shoes up and they actually rang up for the sale price - plus Payless was offering 20% off sale/clearance items, so I ended up paying $16 for them!! They're actually super similar to a pair of Elizabeth & James heels that I have (see this post), but the E&J ones are super high (read: super difficult to walk/stand in for more than 10 minutes), and they're super expensive so I'm always hesitant to wear them for fear of them becoming all beaten up.

For $16, I can buy a dupe. And they're close to these, which were the shoes I was originally wanting when I bought the E&J shoes.

In the evening, I went to meet my dance friends at Wild Bill's for our normal Wednesday debauchery. There weren't many of us there but it was fun nonetheless.

Until next time...

[Random] A New Year is Upon Us

Last night I rang in the New Year with some of my favorite people - my husband and I attended a party at my friend Cheryl's house. All my dance team ladies and gents were there, and it was such a fun, festive atmosphere that started the new year with love, laughter, and good spirits.

We spent the evening eating delicious food, drinking sparkly drinks, and enjoying fun and entertaining conversation with old friends and new acquaintances. We began the new year with a countdown, the ball drop, confetti poppers, a champagne toast, and fireworks in the street.

As 2014 starts, like many of you, I'm thinking about new beginnings and clean slates. I'm beginning this year by focusing on 1-4 things each week that I want to work on. Some of these things will be new habits I'm trying to introduce, some will be tasks to be accomplished, others will be things I want to be more focused on.

To start 2014, I am focusing on three things in the first week. Number one sounds kind of ridiculous - but I'm trying to break a stupid habit. I often, when lost in thought or not doing anything, chew on the inside of my cheek. I look ridiculous doing it, and it's so subconscious I don't realize I'm doing that. I'm trying to be more mindful of when I'm doing it and make myself stop when I notice.

The second thing is to start lifting weights again this week, 3 times a week. I got a new gym bag and some new gym clothes for Christmas this year, and it's given me sufficient motivation to make this one of my first goals.

Number three is also sort of health related, but I'm just dipping in my toe. For this first week, I'm going to focus on wearing my pedometer each day. I want to monitor the average number of steps I take over a week, so that in week two I can set an attainable goal for number of steps each day. Just getting into the habit of wearing my pedometer is goal enough for me this week!

One kind of bonus focus is to start taking daily outfit photos so I can participate in What I Wore Wednesday, even if the photos are snapped on my phone.

What are you working on in the New Year?