October 22, 2010

My Be Love tattoo

Hello, Beautiful!

I took the plunge and got my "BE LOVE" tattoo today! This is my first tattoo. The location of the tattoo is on the top of my left wrist. I really wanted this tattoo, and I don't know why I wasn't nervous or afraid. I'm majorly afraid of needles, to the point where I have panic attacks, but I never once had that scared feeling when thinking about getting my tattoo.
The tattoo didn't hurt at all. I thought for sure it would hurt, but he started and then I say "that's all?". Seriously, I didn't even realize he was doing it. Every now and then (mainly the "B" and the "E" because they was closest to the bone) it felt a little annoying, but nothing painful and certainly nothing that would make me cry or squint my eyes in pain. My husband was sure I'd walk out of the shop crying, because he knows how scared I am of needles. To his surprise (and mine) I walked out of there all smiles (and proud of myself).

I love how the heart in the "O" isn't perfect. It looks like my son drew it and that's exactly what I wanted. I didn't want it to look like a cookie-cutter heart. I wanted it to be a little off because love isn't perfect, love isn't always straight, and love is certainly not cookie-cutter. The only thing that is bothering me (just a little) is how centered, or lack there of, it looks on my wrist. If my arm is out straight (like in the picture), or if I'm typing at the computer, the tattoo looks centered on my wrist. But certain ways I hold/move my arm makes the tattoo look really off-centered. This is something I'll get used to eventually, but I just never expected my tattoo to "move" in that way.

This tattoo holds such importance in my life. I can look at it every day and remember to be love. There are times when I really need that reminder and usually during those times I don't even think about being love, but now that the tattoo is on my wrist, staring right at me, I can always have that reminder. I have a feeling my health issues are going to improve from this point on. The less I stress the better my health improves.

In case anyone is local and looking to get a tattoo, I would highly recommend the local shop I went to. They are the oldest tattoo shop in Front Royal, Virginia. The shop owner is friendly and the atmosphere is laid-back. The shop owner keeps the shop and his shop policies simple and old-school. They only accept cash, no kids allowed in the studio, nobody can come back with you to watch you get the tattoo, they have an answering machine - but you can't leave a message, and they don't have a website. The shop was very clean and the shop owner (the tattoo artist who did my tattoo) is really easy to make conversation with (which is important if you are getting a time consuming tattoo, which mine certainly was not).

Out of all the tattoo shops I've called, emailed and went to visit, this was the one shop that made me feel at home - plus they were very professional. One shop I called several times during their working hours but nobody ever answered. When I left a message nobody called me back. Another shop wanted to change what I wanted my tattoo to be (in size, lettering and location). Another shop wanted to charge me $100 because that was his minimum and even though it would only take him 10 minutes he still had to charge me that price. And then there was the shop that laughed at my tattoo idea and basically pushed me aside to talk to someone who wanted "a real tattoo". There were a few other shops that were nice and friendly too, but I didn't get that "this is it" feeling until I found Colorworks Tattoo Studio.

So for all those that are local, or visiting the area, I would highly recommend Colorworks Tattoo Studio
Address: 514 N Royal Ave. - Front Royal, VA 22630
Phone: 540.636.8282


October 11, 2010

Review: Bobbi Brown Luminous Moisturizing Foundation

Hello, Beautiful!

I recently decided it was time to try a new brand of foundation, and I was in a funk for awhile not knowing which brand or formula to choose. Then I watched QVC one night (I swear, I'm addicted to QVC) and Bobbi Brown was on. I don't think this foundation was on air, if it was I missed it, but I found it online for $45. Since it was on easy pay (I believe it was three easy payments) I didn't even hesitate to purchase this. It was mine! :)


Selecting a shade online wasn't the easiest. QVC didn't have the best shade descriptions (although still helpful - you just need to click on the "shade finder" tab). So naturally I Google searched for swatch photos but didn't come up with very many for this particular foundation. In the end I decided on Warm Beige 3.5 - which just happens to be a perfect match for me! I was really happy that it matched my skintone because I really wasn't looking forward to making any returns.

I received this foundation today and I couldn't wait to put it on. This is my first Bobbi Brown foundation and I have to say, I'm very impressed! First of all, it glides on so easily and blends like a dream. It gives you a natural luminous finish, almost dewy.


In the photo below I spread the foundation around on my hand. You can kind of see the luminous finish it gives you (the shade looks a little pale in that photo, but my hand is darker than my face).


It gives you medium coverage, but I layered it in areas I needed a little more. It didn't cake when I layered it, which is very important to me, and it worked well with my concealer. I set it with my Mally Poreless Perfection Skin Finisher.

I put this foundation on around 1pm EST and it's now over 7 hours later. It still looks fresh and pretty - nothing moved around, nothing faded away. It's a tad bit shiny, but considering everything I had to do today I'm surprised it stayed on at all, so the shine really doesn't bother me. The photo below was taken around the 7 and a half hour mark of wearing this foundation.

[Eyeshadow: Urban Decay Naked Palette using shades Virgin, Sin and Sidecar. Liner: Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Zero. Mascara: Mally Volumizing Mascara. Brows: Smashbox Brow Tech To-Go in Brunette. Lips: nothing on them at the moment, and no blush either.]

This foundation is supposed to be for normal to dry to very dry skin - but I have combo skin and it works just fine (and most products can slip around my face). I'd highly recommend this foundation to anyone! This is such a pretty foundation; the swatch photos really do not do it justice!

Have you tried this foundation? If so, what are your thoughts?


October 7, 2010

WEN Will You Start Working Again?

Hello, Beautiful!

First, I want to remind you to enter today's daily contest. The post is listed below this one, or you can just click here.


I'm in a bit of WEN funk. Originally I was in love with this product and couldn't picture myself using anything else. But by the time I was finished with the bottle (which didn't take long at all), I didn't get that "wow" feeling like I had gotten the first few times using WEN.

Maybe I'm used to the results and it's just become normal. But what if it really is no longer working?

I knew as soon as I finished the Fig Cleansing Conditioner bottle that I would switch to the Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner. I actually love the smell of this one, which is a huge improvement over the Fig (which to me smells like a log cabin pharmacy - but many people love the Fig smell). The Sweet Almond Mint actually works better with my hair type (fine hair) and gives me good results, but I'm not 100% ready to give up regular shampoo and conditioner just yet.

I still use a normal shampoo and conditioner when I'm in a rush (since WEN takes so much time to do properly). I do notice differences still - like how easily my hair is to comb. Having long hair can be a real pain - literally - to comb out and I never have issues when I use WEN. My hair also has a lot of shine, much more than after using regular shampoo and conditioner. Plus, I can let my hair air dry after using WEN with no product in it and it will look great - something I can't do with regular shampoo and conditioner.

I'm still not happy about how much product I have to use. I got the big bottle of this (32 ounce) this time around and I still only think I'll get about 15 uses out of it. This is probably the one thing that bugs me everytime I use this. If I had shorter hair it wouldn't be such an issue, but the cost will add up quick having to replace this monthly.

I have changed my shampoo habits because of this product. I do the WEN system about 2 to 3 times a week. The other days I don't use anything or I will use regular shampoo/conditioner if I have product in my hair that needs to get rinsed out. I would love to use this every day, but it's too expensive for that. Plus, you really don't need to. Every other day is good enough.

If you're a WEN user tell me what your thoughts are on the "getting used to it" theory? Is it really still working and I'm just not noticing as much? Or maybe it doesn't work anymore? I'm considering getting the spray (to use in between WEN treatments).

Well, I'm off to WEN my hair with high hopes in mind!