My Road to Healthy: Getting (and staying!) Motivated

Motivation.

This is by far the hardest part of my journey to getting healthy. I have the food/diet down, and I'm sticking to it really well. I've been cooking alot and have found a TON of things that are good for me and really good. But exercising? Not so much. In the beginning it's such a novelty, you're pumped, enthused, full of adrenaline. Then, as all things, the novelty fades and reality comes back. I made this routine for myself - I was stuck to this new regime for a good week. Then the "oh, I did it yesterday I can skip today" excuses kicked in. I was "busy". Tired. Had to clean. Whatever. I am now made of excuses.

I needed to figure out a way to stay motivated, so I did a little searching online to find good tips on staying motivated when all you want to do is catch up on my DVR. 

I put together a list of things that helped me, and I wanted to share it with you guys in case we are all in the same boat, or just need that little boost to keep your enthusiasm up!

- Don’t start off trying to work out an hour every day and trying to lose 50 pounds in a month. Start with 20-30 minutes of exercise two to three times a week. Going for 10 pounds a week is unhealthy, and really overwhelming. It puts a lot of pressure on yourself, and that is when the motivation can fly right out the window.

- Don't forget to chart your progress, whether it's with a high-tech online tracker or an old-fashioned fitness journal. Seeing the tiny improvements, whether it's increased reps, faster walking, heavier weights, smaller measurements or working out more often, can really help boost your exercise motivation. This one tip really helps me.

- Don't compare yourself to others. Just don't do it. I don't know about anyone else, but it just depresses me.

- Have a support system. Maybe a friend can be a gym buddy or walk around the block with you. Help eachother out!

- Find some sort of fun in it. I HATE it and doubt I will ever find "fun" in sweating and huffing and puffing. I'm trying though, so that works. I don't do the gym, maybe one day, but for now I stick to at home DVD's and am attempting to walk more.

- You can make working out easier on yourself by splitting your exercise session into two or three sessions. Walk in the morning, do a dvd in the afternoon, walk again at night. This can be as beneficial as one long workout. So if you don’t feel like exercising for an hour at a time, do three sessions of 20 minutes each or something.

- Now my favorite, obviously lol. Reward yourself! Something that you enjoy, like a movie or shopping.
Try to think of treats that remind yourself that you are enjoying this because of all the great things you have been doing for yourself!

I hope this helped some people who are struggling like I am. I will do another update, or post another blog when I find some more tips or tricks that I would love sharing with all of you! Let's keep it up :]

Lots of Love,
XOXO Mary

My Project 10 Pan!

Caution: This post is pic heavy.

I love watching the YouTube videos on Project 10 Pan, so I've decided that I am going to do it too. Like it says in my blog description, I have a serious makeup purchasing addiction. This stuff needs to be used up, AND it will [hopefully] keep me from buying any more.

I have to switch my addiction to something else... like jewelry, lol.

So here are the 10 products that I am going to include.

I won't be able to buy any makeup in it's "family" until I use up these!

Obviously if I finish a mascara, I'm going to buy another one, but you guys know what I mean!

Everything is brand new, just unboxed. So I'm starting from the beginning on all of these!

I am going to do updates on my progress, again with pictures.

I really wanna see how long these products last!

I would love to see anyone else's posts on this, or to join me in this quest.

We can do it together! Let's make our wallets fat!

~ THE PRODUCTS ~

Maybelline Line Stiletto in black.

 Revlon Lip Butters in 'Creamsicle' & 'Sweet Tart'

 EOS Lip Balm in 'Sweet Mint' - YUM.

 Maybelline Colossal Volume mascara in black.

 

Olay facial moisturizer.

 Revlon Age Defying concealer in medium.

 Urban Decay Primer Potion - travel size.

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in 'Sunny'

 

Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Zero.

 NYX Lip Liner in 'Natural'.

WOO! This is a bunch! I can't wait to tackle this :]

Lots of Love,

XOXO Mary

Makeup 101 - Concealer

Do you feel like you look like this?

First off, let me say that what you see as "really bad circles" usually isn't as bad as you think. But with a little concealer we can eliminate this :] So let's get started!


Always remember that when you apply anything to your face, you want clean hands. Not doing this can contaminate your makeup or add whatever is on your hands onto your face ultimately hurts us in the end when trying to clear up a breakout! Dirt and oils on your hands will only aggravate the blemish.

Ok, types of concealers. My favorites are liquids and creams. Liquids are generally best used under the eyes as it is light in texture and won't settle into fine lines and wrinkles, or cake up and look, well, icky. Creams are good for a more full coverage. For example, a blemish, dark spots, redness, etc.


CONCEALING UNDER EYE CIRCLES
Warm up the product in the palm of your hand to "thin out" the texture so the coverage is smooth. You can also apply it right to the area with the applicator in your concealer. Now, make a triangle with dots of concealer. It's not as hard as you think. Start by dotting it under your eyes, a few dots on the side of your nose, and connect the line to the outer under eye dot. That creates a triangle!

You can use a brush to lightly and in circular motions blend the concealer. You can also use your fingers. The ring finger exerts the least amount of pressure since it's our weakest finger. It's important because the skin around the eyes is so thin, we don't want to tug on it and pull it. Premature wrinkles! 
The triangle method brightens up the whole plane of your upper cheek and under eyes. If you want a glowy, highlighted effect, choose a shade or two lighter than your actual skin tone. Avoid going too light though – reverse raccoon eyes are not pretty. Don’t forget the upper lids! It makes the entire eye area more polished and draws attention up. Use stay-put eye makeup when applying dark colors. Flaky mascaras and powder eyeshadow can fall under your eyes and make dark circles reappear and look worse.

CONCEALING BLEMISHES, REDNESS, DARK SPOTS
Use concealer that is 1-2 shades darker than your skin.  If you use a light concealer, it’s only going to highlight the acne or blemish instead of hiding it. The trick is to blend around the edges or apply foundation over the concealer to smooth out the color difference. If you have redness from the acne, use a green concealer as it counteracts redness- you do need to apply foundation on top though so you don’t look like a big old weirdo ;]
To avoid over-application which can cause cakiness, apply a dab of these thicker formulas with your fingers and blending out will give you the best results!

ALSO 
Concealer can be used as a lipstick primer. Just apply it to your lips before you put on color to make the true color of your lipstick more intense (your natural lip color can alter your lipstick). It will also give your lipstick staying power when set with a layer of powder on top.

You can also trace around your eyebrows to make them look sharper and neater. Always remember though, blend, blend, blend! It would be like having a foundation line on your face!

If you still feel that concealer alone is just not enough, you can use a corrector before applying concealer.

The yellow/peachy pigments give you an extra boost of brightness and help cancel out purple tones. The green is used to counter act redness. Experiment :]


The low down? In the battle for complexion perfection, concealer is your secret weapon.

Stay tuned for more makeup 101 posts! If you have any requests, let me know! I hope this helped some of you who are struggling with the massive amount of concealers out there :]

Lots of Love,
Mary XOXO

Makeup 101 - Foundation

Although not everyone is blessed with good genes, a flawless complexion is a desired effect for most women. Since we can't alter our body's genetics, we can still achieve this by doing it the way celebrities and makeup artists do - fake it! This simply means using makeup like foundation, concealer, and powder to hide or correct uneven skin tone, blemishes and unwanted spots.

We all have skin imperfections that we don’t like. Applying too much foundation or concealer can end up cursing you with “cake face”. It's a common problem when it comes to makeup. Maybe you don’t necessarily need a full face of foundation, maybe just a little concealer where you feel you need it and a very thin layer of powder on top if you have more oily skin and like to "set" your concealer.

Anyway, the main purpose of foundation is to even out your natural skin tone. Foundation is not meant to make your skin lighter or darker. That is what contouring and shading with bronzers and highlighters are for.The "perfect" foundation color will "disappear" into your skin.

It's important to know what you want from foundation. Do you want it sheer? Matte? Shimmery? Do you want to tone down specific areas of your skin or just even out your overall skin tone?

When you're shopping for foundation, make sure you're in natural day light or white light. Also, don't wear any makeup on your face! I suggest getting color matched in a store like Sephora or bringing a friend with you to the drugstore. If you go to a drugstore and can’t test the color, just hold up the bottle to your jaw line and have a second set of eyes there to help you find the closest match. When choosing a shade, try different ones and compare them. If you can try it on, always test foundation on your jaw line. If you see a spot or the color once it's dry, it's not right for you. It should be invisible, blending into your skin so your skin looks like skin, not makeup. Testing the foundation on your jaw line will help make sure you get the best shade that blends with your face and neck.  

I found information on the makeup geek site breaking down the types of foundation, I will copy and paste it to the end of this post! [much easier than me sitting here and typing it all out since I've been so long winded already...]

Once you have your perfect foundation, make sure you apply it to moisturized and primed [if you wish] skin. Apply your face products in THIN layers. Don’t put too much on at first or it may cake up on you. It's easier to add more than it is to take it away ;]

I hope this helped some of you, and to those that requested it, good luck! And remember, it's just makeup. Everything is trial and error. Unfortunately that's the way it goes. What works on some people may not work on you and vice versa. That's why you should always get a tester before you drop the dollars on a high end foundation. Or, make sure the store has a killer return policy. Nothing sucks more than spending $50 on a foundation and never using it.

Lots of Love,
Mary xoxo

TIPS FROM MAKEUP GEEK

Use only enough powder to set the foundation- using a powder puff will help.  Too much powder will get cakey looking.

Let your moisturizer set for at least 10 minutes before applying foundation- your skin needs time to soak in the moisture.
 
If you are rushed for time, skip the full foundation and just use concealer on problem areas.  No powder is needed unless you have oily skin.

The best method to make your foundation last all day is to use a primer – this stops oil from breaking through and taking off your foundation.

TYPES OF FOUNDATION [FROM MAKEUP GEEK]

Liquid Foundation: Offers light to medium coverage. Available in moisturizing formulas with a satin finish for dry skin or oil-free versions with a matte finish for oily skins.

Cream Foundation: Offers light to medium coverage, slightly heavier than a liquid. Great for dry skin. Avoid using if you have oily or combination skin.

Stick: Foundation sticks also double as concealers. The new gel or powder finish formulas are not as heavy or greasy as the older "pancake" formulas.

Dual-finish compact formulas (liquid to powder or cream to powder): Medium  coverage Great for combination skin, but should be avoided by those with excessively dry skin or who need heavier coverage. Can tend to dry out your face.

Tinted moisturizer: Can be used under foundation or alone for minimal to no coverage. Almost like a liquid bronzer.

Mineral Powder Foundation: Offers light to full coverage. Comes in every shade and tone imaginable. VERY easy and fast to apply. Longer lasting than most foundations. Controls oil and most are waterproof with a natural SPF!

This or That - A Tag!

Heyyy! I've been a little under the weather this week and I've still had to manage my house! But I wanted to at least get a post up. Here is a tag from youtube! I'm makeup-less today but still wanted to post :]
If you would like to answer them, post it on your blog and let me know! I'd love to see what other people say. This is just for fun!

Here are the questions:

Makeup:
blush or bronzer? bronzer, change up the color and it can double as a blush too ;]
lip gloss or lipstick? neither, but if my life depended on it, lipstick.
eye liner or mascara? mascara!
foundation or concealer? concealer. i don't use foundation.
neutral or color eye shadow? both! it really depends on my mood. but for everyday i'd say more neutral.
pressed or loose eye shadows? pressed. i can't be bothered with the messiness of a loose one.
brushes or sponges? brushes :]

Nails:
OPI or china glaze? OPI
Long or short? long-ish. more medium "active" length
Acrylic or natural? neither, GEL!
Brights or dark? neither, i always have a french manicure.
Flower or no flower? no flower. i don't like any embellishments other than some glitter now and then.

Body:
perfume or body splash? if i remember, perfume. but i prefer body sprays.
lotion or body butter? i don't moisturize! i hate the feeling of lotion.
body wash or soap? body wash, exfoliating to be exact.
lush or other bath company? neither. never been to a lush. don't care too much about that stuff.

Fashion:
jeans or sweat pants? sweat pants!
long sleeve of short? uh, depends on the weather.
dresses or skirts? dresses
stripes or plaid? ugh, stripes i guess.
flip flops or sandals? flip flops!
scarves or hats? hats :]
studs or dangly earrings? studs
necklaces or bracelets? bracelets
heels or flats? i would love to wear heels, bad ankle though, so flats.
cowboy boots or riding boots? riding boots
jacket or hoodie? hoodie all the way!
forever 21 or charlotte russe? neither. old navy :]
abercombie or Hollister? neither again.
saks 5th or nordstrom? nordstrom

Hair:
curly or straight? straight
bun or ponytail? ponytail
bobby pins or butterfly clips? bobby pins
hair spray or gel? spray gel :]
long or short? long!
light or dark? dark, i rarely stray too far from my natural color [1B]
side sweep bangs or full bangs? side swept, i like the option of getting hair out of my face.
up or down? up! i'm very low maintenance when it comes to my hair.

Random:
Rain or shine? shine, of course!
Summer or winter? Fall, but i'll say summer
Fall or spring? woo, fall!
Chocolate or vanilla? ew, neither.
East coast or west coast? east coast!!

Well that took forever, now I tag EVERYONE!

Lots of Love,
Mary XOXO

How To: Wear Orange Lips

Orange lips are all the rage for spring and summer. I personally love this trend, it can be worn so many ways. In this post I show you 3 different ways to do an orange lip - from sheer to full on BAM! in your face.

Keeping in mind, orangey tones generally work with both brunettes and blondes as well as fair and dark complexions. It’s just a matter of finding your personal best shade of orangey goodness.

You can pair an orange lip with a golden eyeshadow, bronzer and you're ready to go. You can also rock this trend with simple black liner and mascara. Something more neutral - with such a bold lip, you want to keep the focus there and down play the eyes a bit. Always moisturize your lips first, because vibrant lipstick can emphasize chapped, flaky lips!

However, since there are no rules when it comes to makeup, you can do whatever you want to your face. These are merely suggestions :]

Below are pictures of a way to wear this color. Sheer, muted, and bold. I have done a simple copper eyeshadow, winged liner, and a frosty gold highlight on my eyes. On my cheeks I have some bronzer and a pinch of a peachy-pink blush.

Enjoy!

 Sheer Look

"Orange Juice" lipgloss by Sephora

Muted Look

"Ravishing" by MAC

Bold Look

"Lady Danger" by MAC

So there are a few options on how to rock this trend. As far as fashion and wardrobe is concerned, monochromatic outfits and simple neutral outfits can most definitely compliment this lip. Also, jewel tones can make this really stand out. Again, do as you will, there are essentially no rules in your personal fashion :]

Lots of Love,

Mary XOXO

"Naughty" holiday look

As promised, here is my naughty look :]

I really like how it turned out.

I did a purple and black cut crease, a silver lid, over the top lashes... contouring, a neutral blush and a purple lip (it's showing up a little pink, but it's purple).

I wanted major emphasis on the eyes, sultry and dark... very 'naughty' ;]

 [blowing kisses to Santa, haha]

Next up, a classic holiday look. Stay tuned :]
I love you for reading!

Lots of Love,
XOXO M

Holiday makeup look - "Nice"

Decided this morning that I wanted to do some holiday makeup. I don't have many parties or anything that I go to, just family functions, but these looks are what I might wear out or to a house party.

This first look is my "Nice" look. Obviously "Naughty" will be next, then a classic holiday look :]

So for this I used a shimmery white on the first half of the lid, a frosty green on the second half, and a Christmas tree green on the lower lash line and the outer V. Next I added some subtle false lashes and black liner. For the face I went really fresh with a bright, flushed pink cheek and a golden highlighter. The lips are nude with a frosty pink gloss on top. Hope you like it :]

I can't wait to do "naughty", haha!

Lots of Love,
XOXO M

Theme Collab with YouTuber PiinkLemonaade :]

I watch a lot of YouTube, and while I was browsing I found a new girl to watch. Her tutorials are nice, and she is awesomely daring with her makeup sometimes.

I messaged her and asked if she would like to collab on a video/post theme, and I could have died when she said yes. Lmao.

Anyway, I got white wine, and she did red wine. Check out her video, I'm putting it at the end.
I hope you enjoyed this little combo. It was fun making it, and I actually got really into the white wine thing.
I even added some green and purple, and brown liner. It was fun!

I hope you like it, as always.
I really think it came out nice,
it kinda looks like bridal makeup though.

Check out PiinkLemonaade's video :]
[she hasn't posted it yet, when she does I will do an updated post]


Lots of Love,
XOXO M

Q of the Day...

I am very excited about the coming of fall.

I have my leggings prepped, my jackets in sight, and boots waiting impatiently to be worn.

Now, I have my constant 3 fall nail polishes. I WANT NEW ONES!

What is a good fall nail polish?

I want a nice, blood red too.

And an army green, but not a cream... 

does that exist? Lol...

Sooo, can you girls share what you're favorites are? What your staples are? 

I'm so sick of my colors at the moment.

Lots of Love,

XOXO M

Super Bass

Yep, finally decided to do Super Bass :]

Hahaha!

"Super Bass" - Nicki Minaj

XOXO M

Captain America - Super Soldier

PART 2

Here is part 2, the more literal of the series. Part 1 was classic 40's era makeup, and this is WAY more costume makeup [which btw, is my favorite makeup to do]

Here is the inspiration pic -

Here is my recreation -

I just did the eyes, because the face wouldn't really have been anything. No lipstick, nothing like that. Had I done my face I probably would have contoured with a gray toned powder. I wanted to keep it looking "dirty" - I am a soldier. Soldiers get dirty. I wanted to keep some of the star in the look, so I went with disconnected star points for my outer corner. I lined that with red to keep the red in the look as well.

Since the inspiration picture is so dark and dirty, I kept it just that. I used a bunch of grays and blacks, I used a bright silver on the inner corner for drama, and my lid just a very dark blue. I blended everything out with typographic from MAC. It's just a dark gray. This would be my Captain America super soldier war-paint. 

This was so much fun. Another cool movie needs to come out so I can do some more :]

Tomorrow is going to be an AOTD and NOTD, so stay watchin' for that!

Love you all, 

XOXO M