Wet N Wild Megalast Nail Polish, I'm sold!

Hi guys, thanks for coming back.

So I just wanted to make a quick post about this polish. As many of you know I am moving and the next week is going to be insane. My husband starts work on Thursday at his new job, yeah hubby!

So I went to Wal-Mart yesterday and I just wanted to pick up a cheap polish to welcome the spring weather and to see if the one I pick would survive a move. Well I'm still on the move part but I have to say I am impressed with the polish. I have never used or bought a Wet N Wild nail polish and when I was considering how much I was spending, the $1.68 price tag had a huge influence. I have only recently been informed of the quality of Wet N Wild. With the enormous amount of vloggers and bloggers it’s a never ending stream of information. After a few years of watching and reading I have narrowed it down to my most reliable reporters of the beauty news and I have mentioned them often here. EmilyNoel83 talks often of how good the quality is of this brand and she is one of my top picks for trusted and reliable information.

Last week I picked up one of the trios from Wet N Wild, Walking on Eggshells and I loved it. For the price you just couldn’t beat the pigmentation and blendability. So when I ran across the polish I thought why not, its $1.68, give her a go. I chose the Megalast in #206C, Undercover, a lovely pinkie mauve. The first thing I noticed was the sticker on the lid telling me the brush was a ManiCurve Pro Brush. I had not seen one of these but I think I remember reading about them briefly. This made application so much easier. It is more flat that your traditional polish application brush. It lays on the nail better and the 3 stroke application is just much more natural. It also left no streaks and I really didn’t have to go back over any more than once.

So I applied I coat, because it was very opaque and it didn’t seem to need a second. I wanted to avoid thick layers because I thought it would do better during the move. I topped it with Sally Hansen Dries Instantly 30 Second Top Coat. I was sure to brush it across the tip to give it a good seal to prevent chipping, gave it a good 20 minutes to dry for good measure and went about my evening.

24 hours and 50 boxes later and it looks as good as it did last night after I put it on.

It’s really hard to impress me but this stuff really does. I change my polish almost every 3 days except when I take Tati’s recommendation for the gel polish top coat. If you don’t know about it follow the link and find out, it will make a huge difference. I didn’t do the gel top coat with this so it is doing it all alone and it is doing a great job.

I will be back hopefully early next week with something new. My program Makeup for a 2nd Chance is taking off so fast guys. I intend to help as many women as possible and I will need your help to do it. Stay tuned!!! I also want to give a quick shout out to all my new twitter followers. Would love to include you in that list, use the link below. I’m doing a better job a tweeting more often.

Much Love and God Bless,

KelleyJo

Twitter @kelleyjo3334

Instagram @kelleyjojo333

Facebook @Kelley.lively

Pintrest @Kelleyjo333

LinkedIn Kelley Lively

BTW, excuse my lack of a good mani!!

Sally Girl Eye Shadows, first impressions

Hi guys, thanks for coming back.

So yesterday I posted a picture of the $0.98 Sally Girl eye shadows that you can pick up at Sally Beauty Supply. I have seen these every time I was in a Sally's but hadn't heard anyone review or speak about them until recently. EmilyNoel83 had done a 4 or more tag and she had a nice number of these little guys. What she said was pretty positive about them so I picked 4 of them up yesterday. I was going to wear one or two today but I just couldn't get enough pigmentation out of them for the look I wanted.

I took my NYX HD Eye Shadow Base and used it to test these little fellows out. I wanted to give them every chance in the world. These would be perfect for my program because of the price and availability.  So here is what I found out.

The first one I tried was actually one she had mentioned, Beige.

Remember I laid down the NYX primer on my arm and did the swatch with my finger. I thought because they really have a buttery feel to them that they would be very pigmented but as you can see or can't see, it really left no color at all.

The next one is called Eggplant.

Eggplant did a bit better. The swatch is just one pass and I was able to build the color a little bit. In the swatch I wanted to do each one the same number of times so they could be fairly compared to each other and as a whole.

Auburn is next in our group.

Auburn also did better than Beige and it really preformed better than Eggplant. I think this would be a great fall color or a wash on the lid. The shimmer on this color really stands out well, you could build this color and after a few layers it could probably stand on it's own.

Up next we have Cinnamon.

Cinnamon like Beige is kinda barely there. It might work as a transforming color like the Transforming Perl in the It palette. It could be used as a brow highlight or inner corner pop of shimmer. It does have a warm tone to it and would be useful maybe to warm up other shadows.

First impression is not great. If I needed one color for one event and didn't think I would wear it again I might buy one of these shadows. The texture of the shadow is very nice and I really hate the lack of pigmentation. I'm not real sure of the staying power of these because as I said I did not wear them out today. Let me also say that I absolutely love EmilyNoel83 and I am sure she knows her stuff. This is just a first impression so I have not worn these shadows. With the right primer and know how they might be beautiful. The price makes it a no lose situation so try them yourself, it's just a $1.00.

Sally's was also having 50% off all of their clearance cosmetics and I also picked up a blush by Femme Couture in the color Cupids Arrow. Needless to say I know very well what is meant by "settling into fine lines and wrinkles". I just popped this blush onto my checks to get an idea of how bright the color would be. I looked into my lighted makeup mirror and instantly wanted a face lift. This shadow made my cheeks look like lizard skin. Ouch!! I didn't bother with pictures or swatches. I also picked up one of the Wet n Wild Color Icon shadow collections Walking on Eggshells. Couldn't have been happier and I spent less on it than I did on the 4 Sally Girl shadows. I got one less shadow but I will wear all of those compared to the 4 from Sally's. Just an observation. 

I would like to send a thank you to We Heart This, EnvyDerm, Chic Peek as well as a few others, they now all follow me on Twitter and I am very humbled and honored.

Continue to watch for updates about the program for women who have been incarcerated Makeup for a 2nd Chance. This is taking off and I can't wait to help my first group of women. I now have a page on LinkedIn and I am making connections everyday. Thank you so much for your continued support.

Much Love and God Bless,

KelleyJo

Twitter @kelleyjo3334

Instagram @kelleyjojo333

Facebook @Kelley.lively

Pintrest @Kelleyjo333

LinkedIn Kelley Lively 

Tried & True My Love of Makeup Geek Brushes

Hi guys, thanks for coming back.

I have a confession, I love Makeup Geek. Well not Marlena herself, although I do think she is absolutely brilliant, but her brushes. I know M.G. has just re-released their brushes and I can't wait to order them but my love goes back almost 2 years. I have had the brushes I am in love with for that long. I have spoken about them before but never in the detail that I am about to.

Bent Liner: 

   

This is the only way I can apply gel liners and that's OK. I learned with this brush along with M.G.’s gel liner in Immortal. This brush has the perfect angle in the bend to lay it flat on the lid and drag it across to make the perfect line. Everything meets and it doesn’t drag itself along. The bristles are thin and have a perfect point. There isn't any short hairs that catch or drag liner all willy nilly. Even with a weekly wash as with all of my brushes it remains the same.

Chisel Shader:

This is the perfect brush for smudging liner or shadow across the top lid as it was designed to do. I keep this brush for my dark shadows that I use as liner and to accentuate my crease. All of the hairs are the same length in the middle then they shorten just slightly at each end. Upon looking for this brush at the Makeup Geek store I found that they do not carry it, I am so sorry, however I am still going to include it to simply lend itself to the quality of these brushes as a whole.

Crease & Small Crease:

These are both my go to crease brushes. They both look almost exactly the same with the exception of size. I use the larger one for my crease because as the name implies it works best in my crease. It has just the right angle where the hairs go from the longest in the middle to the shorter hairs around the outside. This allows perfect control of your crease color and cuts way down on blending time. The small brush is great for the outer V and is still small enough to carry what’s left of the color down and across your bottom lash line. I can forgo the pencil brush at times because it can be utilized as both.

Angled Contour:

Just the fact that this brush has stayed as perfect as the day I got it says so much. This brush is soft and is my favorite brush for both cream and powder blush. It gives me complete control of placement my product as well as blends and sheers out product evenly.

I know these brushes might be intended for something other than what I use them for. I think I got the names right but I can’t be certain. I just wanted to write this because a) I’ve not done a post specifically about brushes and b) these are some of my most dependable and I consider them my Holy Grail brushes.

Makeup Geek has a great selection of new brushes and I really can’t wait to order all of them. The quality of the brushes I have is remarkable when I consider what I paid for them. I think they were all under $5.00 at the time when I ordered them 2 years ago. I believe the entire line is of great quality and value. I don't have a lot of it but everything I have ever seen reviewed was very positive. It is absolutely worth a look and if nothing else just order an item or two and try it out.

When I ordered the brushes and the gel liner I had just started watching YouTube videos and figuring out I really had a passion for makeup. Marlena and Makeup Geek helped spark my love of beauty and kept it going to where I am today. I am just beginning to find a place in the beauty industry. I am not going to start a cosmetic company and I don’t believe I am talented enough to be a great MUA. I do plan to change lives of women with makeup through Makeup for a 2^nd Chance and that is enough for me.

Thanks for reading this guys and if you haven’t read my post about my program please click the link and check it out. You can also subscribe by email and if you have or download the app Bloglovin it helps keep you up to date. I like it.

Much Love and God Bless,

KelleyJo

Lets Connect

Twitter @Kelleyjo3334

Instagram @KelleyJo333

Pintrest @Kelleyjo333

KelleyLively@Gmail.com

LinkedIn @Kelley Lively Makeup for a 2^nd Chance

What's coming soon

Just wanted to write a quick post to let you know what's coming.

I have a piece I'm working on about the absolutely wonderful Makeup Geek brushes. Look for that later today.

I'm digging in on my program to help women who have been incarcerated.  Joined Linkin so find me there. Makeup for a 2nd Chance.

I am relocating this weekend as well so I will take all the prayers I can get from all of you beautiful people.

Much Love and God Bless

KelleyJo

Theraderm 1 Month Review

Hi guys, thanks for coming back to my blog.

So tomorrow is my 1 month mark from the time I started the Theraderm Skin Renewal system. I have really been dedicated to using this and just finding out if it works. Keep in mind also that I used the Clinique 3 step system daily since September of last year until the time when I started this system. The products I have are the travel set and you can buy it from their website as well. The travel size set is $20 and the full size set which includes all 4 products is $140. In the world of skin care that is really affordable. A lot of skin care lines are much more expensive, however you can find something that works for almost any budget.

So as I have already told you this was recommended by my Aunt who works for a plastic surgery group and has been with them for like 30 years. She has recommended this product in the past and I wasn’t as concerned with my skin as I have become recently. I had pretty good luck as a teenager and didn’t have acne or any real trouble keeping my skin clear. Even up into my 30’s my skin was in pretty good condition. I never went to the tanning bed and I never spent a lot of time in the sun. Most of my family have medical careers, my mother was an x-ray tech, my aunt and uncle both nurses and I even have a couple of cousins that are in medicine as well. So I was always aware of the dangers of UV light even back when everybody thought the tanning bed wouldn’t hurt them. Of course we know now just how bad the sun and UV light is for our skin.

My chief complaints with my skin now are dark spots, a large one in particular on my cheek and uneven tone and color. The texture of my skin has remained fairly soft and firm. My first goal is to prevent further damage and aging to my skin. I believe I have done that to some extent. I haven’t developed any new dark spots or any noticeable fine lines and wrinkles. I believe from looking back at pictures I have taken to document the effectiveness of the product that the dark spot on my cheek has in fact gotten somewhat lighter in color. I can also tell that the redness in my cheeks is not so bright and easier to cover with makeup. I have also started washing my face prior to using the Theraderm cleanser with a tea tree soap. I have just started doing this in the last week but it does seem to leave my skin less dry than just using the cleanser.

Be sure if you are unfamiliar with my previous posts relating to this journey to use the label index in the left hand column to jump to the other posts.

The travel size has lasted me a month almost to the day. I do still have a small bit of cleanser and step 2 and 3. I am completely out of the application rounds for the acid and I’m out of the moisturizer. I am hoping to get more product and keep going for at least another month so I can have a better idea of how well the product works. Things are kind of shaking up in my world with my husband starting a new job soon. We appreciate all your prayers and well wishes so much and I would like to ask you to please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we make this transition.

Much Love and God Bless,

KelleyJo

Hautelook does it again!

Hi guys, sorry it's been a few days.  I've been working on a new post for the "about me" page to tell everyone about my little Easter miracle of sorts and I also have a Theraderm update coming up for you.
I really just wanted to jump on here and tell you in case you haven't seen it about the cosmetic events at Hautelook.
Laura Geller started yesterday and will be ending Thursday at 11 a.m.. There are some real bargains here guys so grab those up if you can.  Gorgeous cosmetics started today as well. I really didn't see like a huge savings but if you consider the full price of this line, they are about half off, that one will end Friday I believe.

They also have some skin care products so check those out as well.
I will have more up soon. Oh and find me on Twitter  @kelleyjo3334.

Much Love and God Bless,
Kelleyjo

Makeup For A 2nd Chance, my mission to pay it forward

Hi Guys! Thank you so much for reading my blog.

I have talked about the non-profit I am starting in a few places online here and there. Mostly I have mentioned it in comments or in private messages. So this is the announcement, let’s call it the official announcement.

Makeup for a 2^nd Chance is a non-profit organization for the purpose of helping women who have been incarcerated for a length of time not less than 1 year. 

I have been very blessed and it has been on my heart to start giving back to those less fortunate than I have been. When I came home from a combined 2 years that I was incarcerated between 2 states (I talked about this in my “About Me” post and if you know me personally you know about my struggles with drug addiction) I decided not to be ashamed and to talk openly about my past, that it might help someone either affected directly or indirectly by addiction. Talking about my past is not enough, I want especially to help the women who are going through what I have been through or worse. This is something that God has really put on my heart and it’s time to start doing something about it.

Halfway houses and programs that help people who are being released from prison or jail are primarily for men. I’m not sure if it’s because women usually have children to consider, I’m really just not sure why this is. There are a lot of groups that come in and teach classes and give information to inmates about how to fill out applications, how to answer questions in an interview and how to deal with the background checks and how much to tell a potential employer. The program I went through (RSAT, Residential Substance Abuse Treatment, Georgia’s answer to drug court) actually included a 14 week technical college course in which I received a certificate and college credits for completing the course. During these classes you learn Microsoft Office Suite and how to create a resume, you are also given information related to how to get clothes and other resources that may be able to help you while trying to get back on your feet. I believe there was one that would help you get a car if you lived in the area that it was located in. The one thing I do not recall seeing is a place that would help you in completing the look for a job interview or professional appointment, this is a women’s hair and makeup. Gray or any color roots grown out to your ears is just not a polished look, neither is a business suite without a little mascara and lipstick, it just makes you look put together, and the outfit is complete. Not only will this give a professional look it will do wonders for a women’s confidence in herself.

During incarceration, especially in a county jail, you really get very little sunlight and your skin reacts to this environment in a really bad way. I had a lot of hyperpigmentation around my mouth and nose. Things happen to your skin that you just don’t understand. There isn’t any access to any kind of special cleansers, toners or moisturizers, even if you could buy them from the commissary. During the times when I was outside, this is called rec time, I would take my shoes and socks off and rub the heels of my feet back and forth on the concrete pad that rec was held on just to get rid of dry skin and callouses. The food is horrible, you can hang up fresh fruits and vegetables, starch and carbs are the main course even in the food you can buy in the commissary. Ramen noodles, chips, candy bars and cool aid. So to sum it up, you come out 50 pounds overweight, with pale, acne prone skin and really rough feet, but you are there to pay a debt to society, you don’t deserved to look good, right?

I’m not going to get into the debate over inmate rights or what should happen to people who break the law. I know one thing, these women deserve a 2^nd chance, especially if they are willing to work for it. Most of the female population are drug addicted girlfriends and wives whose biggest downfall is that they love their man. Once they have some clean time behind them they start to realize they love their kids more and they start to regret what they have done and what they have put their children and families though. Drugs and men together or separate can have a powerful hold on a women, especially a women with low self-esteem. That’s why we have to start lifting these women up and building a foundation that they can stand upon and say “I matter!”

In a perfect world I would like to give every women a bag of beauty needs but I think what it will come down to is recommendations. I have stayed in contact with a group of ladies from a local church that work closely with female inmates in both Hamilton County in Tennessee and Catoosa County in Georgia. They fought to get permission from the Catoosa county sheriff’s office when I was transferred to Georgia so that they could minister to the women there. It was a wonderful thing they did and it was desperately needed in the facility in Catoosa County. I would like to use groups like this to get recommendations from for women they feel will benefit from this type of gift. So upon being chosen ideally we would like to hold a class once a month and bring all of the women together for a day of beauty. I would like to have a couple of cosmetologists who would donate their time to give haircuts, color and style for the ladies. I would then like to have a brief class about makeup and skin care. Then we would gift these ladies with a beauty bag which would contain makeup that would work for any skin tone and color. Next I would like to have a range of foundation, concealers and skin care products that would need to be matched for each person and have someone who could help the ladies choose the proper colors and formula for each of their skin types. The gift would also include hair needs like shampoo and conditioner, styling products and maybe hairdryers and flat irons if they need them to keep up the style of their hair, as well as hygiene items for bathing and other female needs.

This is something that I believe could change a person’s life. Just to find out that someone cares and that they matter can have lasting effects both spiritually and emotionally. The ladies group that prayed for me, wrote to me and even fought to get into the facility in Georgia so they could minister to all of the ones incarcerated there, it meant so much to me. When I got out they didn’t disappear and I continue to be in contact with them 

If you have comments or would like to help I would love to hear from you. You can reach me through my blog site or my Gmail address. I hope to have a separate page posted to my blog dedicated to the project within a few days. Thank you for reading this, it means a lot to me and it means a lot to the women that we will help one day very soon.

Much Love and God Bless,

Kelleyjo

Kelleylively@gmail.com

Update On Theraderm Week 2

Hi guys, thanks for coming back.

I have been using the Theraderm system for a little over 2 weeks now. Prior to that I had been using the Clinique 3 step since September. In all seriousness I haven’t missed more than 2 nights using either system. Prior to my commitment to a skin care regimen I was never someone who sun bathed or used a tanning bed. I guess the worst damage I have done was my extended IV drug use. The worst damage I can see is broken capillaries. This damage seems to be isolated to my hands and wrists.  It looks like veracious veins, purple and broken. This also seems to keep my hands dehydrated. Luckily my complexion hasn’t sustained too much damage on my face. I am doing everything I can to keep the signs of aging at bay.

So 2 weeks in and not much of a noticeable difference. I think maybe the texture of my skin is a little softer. My dark spot seems to be the same color, I had hoped it would have lightened some by now but it hasn't. I am still using all of the same products that I had listed in a previous post. I use all of the Theraderm products, the Dermabrush during the cleansing step as well as 100% argan oil, additional moisturizers and the Olay eye gel.

I am really frustrated. Maybe I am expecting too much but shouldn’t I see more results at this point? I have been so dedicated to this and I really thought almost 8 months in it would defiantly be noticeable. If anyone of you guys have more recommendations or suggestions I would love to have them. I can’t afford to buy more expensive products than what I have spent already. I had asked my Aunt who works for the Plastic surgery group if she could help me get a Clarisonic since they now carried them, of course she said she couldn't, it never hurts to ask. I’m not sure however that it would make a difference.

Once again guys thank you so much for reading my posts and please leave me a comment if you have any input on this topic. As always…

Much Love and God Bless,

KelleyJo

The Urban Decay makeover and a brief rant about Ulta associates.....

Hi Guys, thanks for stopping by.

So I had this appointment with an Urban Decay makeup artist at Ulta since the 1st week of beauty steals. I overheard the manager talking about the UD team coming and I stuck my nose in and said hey what’s going on with the Urban Decay event? So she made me the appointment and it was today.

So let me just say that the very, young man was very nice and very talented. They had set up right inside the front door. Apparently I really didn't need an appointment because I walked in and they offered to do my makeup. He asked me what it was I was interested in and if I used UD products? I told him I would like to see the new Naked foundation, curious if it would give me the amount of coverage I require to feel comfortable when leaving the house. I told him I really just wanted some hands on education. I wasn't interested of course in the new Electric palette because I simply do not wear those types of colors but I could appreciate it from a distance, it was displayed all around where they were set up.

So I love the foundation, it did give me the coverage as well as the hydration I need from a foundation. It matched my skin tone and color, it gave me the flawless finish we all desire from our makeup. He applied a little blush using the orange color in the Electric palette and that was it. No eye shadow, no contouring, just a little foundation and blush. I know this was free but I was just expecting more from an Urban Decay, Ulta event. I thought surely I would get a small goody bag or samples or something. They didn't even pressure me to buy products and it's a good thing because I took zero money.

I want to thank the young man once again, I believe his name was Louis. I am sure he stayed within whatever guidelines where set up for the event. I stayed and walked around looking for self-tanners on clearance and spring items within my $9.00 worth of Ulta reward points. 

For the most part the ladies and gentleman that work at Ulta are nice. I have had some great exchanges with a handful of the associates and the manager at my local location is wonderful however, some of them are just so stuck up it makes me nauseous. One I have in mind I believe is the Lancome specialist. I asked her about a Lorac product and she was just not friendly at all and this is not my first experience with her. I had my brows done a few months ago at the brow bar, by a different associate, it wasn't a great experience either. Come to find out she didn't do some of the things required at one of these appointments and she gave me zero education. I told her I was there to have them shaped for the first time outside of the $8.00 nail salon wax. I was clueless when it comes to keeping my brows up and I told her this. Is this not a customer based business?  Do we want our makeup associates to treat us like we are on a lower level than they are. Do we not stand on the same earth or is their ground just a little more elevated than mine? I have been in the customer service industry for 20 plus years. I just do not understand how this is OK just because they work at a makeup store or counter.

Sorry about the little rant but I know anyone who has been in an Ulta or at the Macy's makeup counter, just a general reference, not a specific counter, has had a similar experience. I am the last person to think I am better than anybody else because I know where I have been... lol

Tomorrow I will post my Theraderm update, it won't be very long because I really haven't noticed many improvements. Thank you all for reading my new About Me page and the comments that were left on my Facebook feed were so sweet, thank you again.

Much Love and God Bless,

KelleyJo

Empty Target Shelves

Hi Guys!!

So I told you that I was going to go check out the Pixie brand clearance items at Target and I did. I went by yesterday and found in total about 3 items left. Not sure if it might have been Emily's video or they had just been on clearance for a while, but it was cleaned out. Seriously there was like 1 shadow single, a lipstick and a brow gel and that was between both the Pixie and the Sonia Kashuk brand. To late to the party, not the first time...lol

Tomorrow I am going to my local Ulta store for a Urban Decay makeover. Not sure what that will involve but I'm pretty excited. Like any self conscious female my first thought is what will the artist think of me. The biggest thing I have running through my mind is my age, like what is this old lady doing in a young women's world. I know it's crazy but I can't help it, I'm just a girl...

Wish I had some other news to tell you guys but it's been a quite few days. I did pick up the Nivea Creme in the little tin, it's awesome. Seen a great video about 5 Surprising Uses for Nivea Creme. Also picked up the HD Eye Shadow Base by NYX and I will let you know how it works for me very soon. I found that one of my local, not the one closest to me of course, CVS carries NYX and it is usually buy 1 get 2nd for 1/2 off, so I grabbed a brow pencil in taupe and had pretty good results with it this morning. I don't think I have mentioned this but my brows are my most frustrating, aggravating just nerve racking thing I have to deal with on the daily. I have read tutorials, watched videos, you name it, nothing helps.... Until this one little blog post I found the other day. It was on The Beauty Department and it was how to use a brow brush. This one little post, with illustrations and pictures, has changed my life forever!!! Check it out if you have the same evil nemesis lurking on your forehead.

Still using the Theraderm and I will have a weekly update in the next few days. Be sure to read my new page, About Me. I know a little narcissistic but I added some more information about my family and some pictures of those that I love. Thank you so much for reading this and please subscribe and leave a comment... Would love to know more about you.. Also if you can tell me where to find my blogs media URL so I can put Pintrest buttons on my posts that would be so incredible. I keep trying and I can't make them work for some reason.

Much Love and God Bless,

KelleyJo

On The Road Again

Hi Guys, Hope everyone is doing very well and you are all blessed. So I got some great news Tuesday....
My husband got a job offer, a great job offer.  He had gotten laid off back on the 31st of January after only being with the company since November 1st. He moved and we were going to uproot everything and relocate for this company then 3 months later they sell and last one in, first one out. He had actually interviewed with the company he got the offer from before he got the last job and went through 7 interviews and 2 months of waiting, we thought he had it for sure. They went with the other guy and guess what.. he didn't work out. So he gets to come back home. He has never had a job in his field in our home town until now. God has been so good and full of grace. We are just so blessed to be able to be together and him have a job at home. Thank you all for your prayers

I don't have a lot to tell you guys on the beauty front. I'm sure you all watch EmilyNoel, I just love her and congratulations on her wonderful news, I won't tell in case you have been under the proverbial rock. She has a Target haul video that went up today so I looked into the Pixie clearance items a bit. I went online and the Pixie brand has some clearance priced items on their site as well. I am going to try to hit my local location tomorrow and see what they have. Sally's Beauty Supply has a pretty good deal on there nail polish. I believe it was most all of the brands they carry, Orley, China Glaze, OPI, Palladio were all buy 2 get 1 free. The Sally Girl brand, the one by the register, those baby bottles of polish for .99 cents, if you get 3 colors in a gradient, you can do a really cheap umbra nail effect. I have Dot, a light baby pink by Zoya from an Ipsy bag that I used for my base then layered 3 of the Sally polishes Baby Doll, Sweet and Spoiled on a makeup sponge.
I surprised myself, it came out great. I did a top coat between the base color and then on top of the gradient to smooth it out. My nails have not grown out very much since my restaurant job but they are getting there. They also had any lash products buy 2 get 1 free, included glue and lashes of all the brands they carry.

Hautelook.com has had a great run on cosmetic brands lately. Drives me crazy that I have't been able to pick anything up. Laura Mercier started today, ends Saturday 11 a.m. pacific, Osmotics Cosmeceuticals, ends Friday 11 a.m. pacific,Stila Travel Palettes, they have 2, San Francisco and Seattle, hurry ends tomorrow same time. Blinc and Fusion are ending at 9 a.m. tomorrow. I don't see anything of huge excitement coming up.

Not sure if anybody has been to Gloss48.com. New event type site, a lot of smaller brands, but they keep the brand available after the flash sale. Another site I have been looking at a lot, I haven't ordered from them but I really want to is allcosmeticswholesale.com. Check them out, pages and pages of just shadows, drugstore and highend, even Mac. I'm in love with some of the Estee Lauder palettes for like $20.00, no box, who needs a box...lol Guys let me know if you have ordered from any of these sites that I don't have any experience ordering from, Please.....

Time to wrap it up. Tomorrow is another beautiful day!

Much Love and God Bless,

KelleyJo

Theraderm Day 10

Hi all, just a quick update on my Theraderm skin system.

So this is day 10 and I have used it every day since I started.
Just a recap I use my Dermabrush for the 1st step, the cleanser. I try to go over my entire face with longer focus on my dark spot on my cheek and places you might first start to see wrinkles, forehead, laugh lines, crows feet. The 2nd step is the actual acid. The system came with small round application pads that you drop 10 drops of the acid solution onto, then wipe it across face, neck and even eye lids. This has a slight stinging sensation. I thought maybe at first it was the pads and they were just rough on my skin. This wasn't the case, I wiped my face with one without the acid solution and it was soft. This is a great indicator, to me anyway, that the acid is working. This also leaves my face slightly red. This is followed by the 3rd step the repair solution. This has a slight soothing feeling across the skin. Finally it's the moisturizer. I then use my own cocktail of Olay eye cream, 100% argan oil and the Clinique Repairware laser Focus.

So 10 days in I believe the dark spot on my cheek is actually a little lighter and my skin might be slightly softer to the touch. I haven't noticed a real change in my skin in regard to firmness, tone and pores. I never have had any real issues with large pores, hopefully it won’t have a negative enlarging effect. In the morning I use a facial self-tanner so it absorbs and the oils from the night before have been absorbed completely.

I hope this is helpful to anyone who might be looking for a new skin care regimen. I am trying to get my hands on a Clarisonic to see if it might help to accelerate the Theraderm system. For now I only have the Dermabrush, it seems to do a good job at a much better price.

BTW Stila travel palettes will be on Hautelook.com in the morning. Right now there are 3 different cosmetic companies and Billion Dollar Brow on Hautelook, and this is the week I am broke. lol

 Much Love and God Bless,

 KelleyJo

Time 2 Tan

Hi guys, well I had some inspiration come from good ole Facebook today and a lot from a personal experience last night.

Today I want to talk about Self-Tanners and everything that goes along with it.

So yesterday I received a long overdue Hautelook order. As much as I love it, it does take forever sometimes to get the orders and this one was actually cancelled and my money refunded. From things I have read since the statement by customer service saying “we over sold that event” this apparently happens pretty often. Regardless this was my first order with them and they were very nice when I called and spoke to customer service. They refunded my money, gave me a store credit and still sent everything in the Lorac order but one item, the little mint palette, can’t remember the exact name but it’s not relevant to this post. Anyway… one of the items I did receive was the Lorac Face Self Tantalizer Face Bronzing Gradual Self Tanner.

I have been using the Xen-Tan face Self tanner in lite, I had picked this up a  few weeks ago on clearance from Ulta for like $5.99. It goes on like lotion, it’s white with no guide color and did give me a gradual lite tan that I was pretty happy with. So upon getting the Lorac tanner I decided it would probably work to make me a little darker than the lite color I chosen in the Xen-Tan….

OMG, apparently the dark gold color that is there when you put it on is a guide color and thank goodness it was, but I did not know this at the time or even until 6 hours later. My husband took one look and said “now you have taken this too far”. I thought the color just had to soak in. I had went online to read up on tips and tricks for self tanning. I found this awesome site with all kinds of information and it had exactly what I was looking for www.selftanningqueen.com. Tons of great recommendations and advice for the home self tanner. My first question was do I moisturize prior to application? I found out that it was recommended but only with a water based product. I read through some of the other tips and it said to use a tight fitting latex glove or something of the like and I happen to have a few. The morale of the story, I spent about 6 hours the color of a bronze statue. Using the glove kept me from rubbing in the lotion, I guess, not real sure about this. After 6 hours I took a dry cloth just to see what it would do and the dark bronze color came right off. I was so glad I didn’t do this prior to leaving the house and I had 12 plus hours to either work with my new color or try my best to fix it. I guess I say all of this because I read a Facebook post by my 1st cousin saying she was heading into the tanning salon to get toasty. This is so dangerous and with all the great products we have now it’s just not worth the risk. She has beautiful skin and she is only in her early 30’s. I see women I went to school with that went to the tanning bed every day back in high school. Most all of them look at least 5 to 10 years older than I do. Now I have damaged my body in many other ways during my time shooting up drugs. My arms and hands are permanently discolored and I have varicose veins that cover my hands and arms, it’s not pretty. All the long track marks are gone after a couple of years but this will never fade. I’ve never seen this happen to other people that have used IV drugs. I guess God wanted to make sure I never forget and I use it to forge ahead and make sure I don’t do any more damage to my body. Ladies stay out of those dangerous tanning beds and stay out of the sun, if it doesn't kill you it will make your later years much harder on you and your skin care routine. Plastic surgery won’t fix leathery skin or basil cell carcinoma or any other form of cancer.

I am including a few links to tanning products that I have read really great reviews about. The one above with the tips and tricks does promote a product so you may want to check it out as well.

St. Tropez (one of the most popular and highest rated)

Estee Lauder (they have an entire bronze goddess line.)

L'Oreal Paris Sublime ProPerfect Salon Airbrush Self-Tanning Mist (more along the lines I can afford, still very highly rated by all I could find about it.)

Jergens Natural Glow Moisturizers (I loved this product for my legs and arms)

Tan Towel (you can find this a ton of places, Ulta, Sephora, Hautelook, Amazon and HSN. Very reasonable.)

This should help you guys with your hunt for your perfect self tanner. Would love to hear what you use and what has worked for you..

Much Love and God Bless

Kelley Jo

Bare Minerals Liquid Foundation Bareskin

I knew it was coming and QVC has it right now.  I wanted so badly to love the mineral foundation but it just didn't match my skin tone and color.  I really hope this does the trick.

It comes, if you get it from QVC, with this awesome brush.  It looks like a stippling brush except it has a little dip in the middle.  The reservoir in the middle of the brush holds the products then you buff it in like any stippling brush. It's a great deal if you can get it from QVC.  You get the brush and foundation for like $39.00 and they have easy pay.  It ships out on the 8th but won't be in stores until May 1st.  Let me know if anyone grabs it from the Q.

Much Love and God Bless

Kelleyjo

March Favorites

I know, I know I’m a few days late with the March favorites but here they are...

I haven't really mentioned it here because I wanted this to be just beauty related things, but I was able to quit smoking last September by way of the electronic cigarette or Vapor is what I would rather call it. It is in no way a cigarette even though it is a nicotine delivery device. I have never been able to quit smoking as easily as I was able to with this device. I have immersed myself into the vapor world and I have met some really great people. I have had people in the Facebook group I belong to send me nicotine juice and batteries along with other things needed for vaping. I believe these people who are wanting law and strict regulations on these products are just plain nuts. Hundreds of thousands of smokers have been able to quit. We don't want kids to use these devices or start smoking. People say it's the flavors, can't I like peaches and bananas? After the 1st week I no longer wanted the juice to taste like a nasty cigarette. So if you are a smoker and you would like information about trying a vapor device please send me a message or email and I will point you in the right direction. That's all i'm going to say about the law in regards to vaping, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, that's mine and it's not really beauty related but this is one of my March favorites and it was actually free, sent from the wonderful group VHV.

Non Beauty Favorites

So one of my March favorites is a nicotine juice flavor by Strix Elixir called Monkey Stripe. It starts with a sweet licorice flavor and finishes with a yummy smooth banana flavor.

My favorite drink as of lately is the iced Chai Latte. You can sometimes find the liquid by Tazo in the coffee and tea isle at the grocery store. I have also found a sugar free powder at World Market and Trader Joes carries a powder mix also. My wish is for a Organic DIY Chai Tea Kit with Recipes. I have this included in my wish list collection on Luvocracy.

One last thing is favorite song. A little know singer named Courtney Barnett, find her album called A Sea of Split Pea Soup and the song Avant Gardener.  

On to beauty.... 

 I'm not sure if I have already talked about the It Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette and but I have continued to use it and love it. The shadow is the consistency of butter and they blend effortlessly. The all matte palette works for my 40 year old eye lids very well and I can always add a little shimmer with the Transforming Pearl. My favorite color so far is the soft pink color Soulful. It's just a warm pink, but not pepto pink, more of a warm blanket wrapped around you when you are cold pink, if that makes sense.

Soulful

  

Next it’s something from last year that, like a lot of others, I have found it to be perfect for spring and that is Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. When this came out last Christmas I was already thinking ahead to spring. The pink and gold tone to this entire palette just screams wear me, it’s warm outside. So if you didn't give in to the peer pressure around Christmas let lay some on you now.

 

My next March favorite was a T.J. Maxx find. The big craze now is for oils. There is Argan, Coconut, Maracuja, among others as well as countless oil combos put out by every brand in the business. Hey I love them; I have dry skin so I soak them up. Most that I’ve found are very expensive. I always look through the beauty section at the Maxx and I have found some real treasure. A couple of weeks ago I found a Two Faced Long Steamed Lashes for $7.99, wow. That wasn't the favorite though, it was a small pump spray bottle of 100% pure Argan Magic oil but wait its better, it was $4.99. If you have a T.J. Maxx I recommend highly stopping in to take a peek at the beauty corner. It doesn't usually constitute a department.  I've looked online and apparently they just don’t carry any beauty products there. So go find one, be happy…

I swear it looked like so much more when I typed this into Word but that's all I have. With the exception of my pay check that the owner of the business I worked at has decided not to give me. It’s a week behind tomorrow. I filed the paperwork with the local labor board yesterday, so we shall see. I would just ask that you all pray for him to find it in his heart to pay me my little $7.25/hr check and of course pray for him because there is something very wrong in his life that he would do this to someone that depends on it. 

Thanks to all of you, you don’t know what it means that you take the time to read what I have to say. Have a wonderful and a beautiful April!!!

Much Love and God Bless,

Kelleyjo

Lotus Cosmetics

Just wanted to let everyone know Lotus Cosmetics is on Hautelook.com right now.  Billion Dollar Brows start tomorrow and NYX is coming on Friday.  Always deeply discounted.

Bellashoot, have you seen it?

I have started a profile on Bellashoot. I'm not sure how involved I will be in it but let me know if any of you guys are a part of it and what you think about the site and the way it is set up.

Theraderm Skin Cleansing System, Day 5

Hello, Hope everyone is doing very, very well today. I am on day 5 for the Theraderm Clinical Skin System. So I just wanted to give you guys a quick update on my thoughts about this skin cleansing system.

Not sure if I had mentioned it but I have used this product for a brief time before now. My Aunt had gotten the travel size for the ladies in my family for Christmas and I’m sure, do to my young age at the time, I didn't keep it up and wasn't very concerned with my skin. Anyway I am so far pretty happy with my skin. I broke out terribly when I started using the Clinique 3 Step system and took that as a result of starting the new skin routine. This time I haven’t experienced any breakouts so far. I think my skin was a little red the first time I used it but nothing I was overly concerned with. I believe I explained in one of my prior posts that it was a 4 step system. So here is a brief description and picture of each product and how I use it.

   1. Cleansing Wash, I have been using my Dermabrush to clean my face with the first product in the system. It lathers up nice and has no real smell to it.

   2.Fruit Acid Exfoliate, I put 10 drops of this on the round   application pads and rub it all over the face as well as eye lids.

   3. OPC Reparative Gel, I use my fingers to rub a thin layer all over my face,      neck and eye lids.

   4. Enriched Facial Moisturizer, I rub a small amount over  entire face, neck and eye lids.

None of the products seem to have a strong smell associated with them, which is great for anyone who might me sensitive to certain aromas. I used to have a sensitivity to a lot of different smells, they would give me migraine headache, that was such a miserable thing to have happen just from smelling a nice perfume or even certain foods. So, I am very pleased with the system so far and I will come back on a weekly basis and give you updates. I just want to add that I do follow this with additional moisturizers, oils and eye cream. I am using the Tarte Maracuja Oil under my eyes, Olay Eye serum around my eyes and Clinique’s Repairware Laser Focus on my fine lines and wrinkles around the corners of my eyes, forehead and laugh lines. I also still use the It Cosmetics Feel The Moment primer serum before applying my makeup.

Don't forget guys to go check out the Luvocracy page and app. I really love putting my collections together and I would love to see your's as well.

This is the last week of Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty Steals. I wanted to get the Laura Geller Baked Highlighter and dual ended brush that is featured today for $15.00 instead of the usual $44.00. I have had a bit of bad luck with my former employer. 

I had to quit do to a tone he took with me over a statement I made in front of a customer about how much money was made the night before. I didn't even know the gentleman was walking up to the buffet, nevertheless I was told in the back “Do not ever say anything about money ever again in front of a customer, do you hear me Kelley, do you understand?”. I wish I was able to include a audio clip for you to hear the tone that was used when he said this to me, it was degrading and unacceptable. My husband doesn't talk to me in this tone and no other person is going to either. Anyway payday was Friday and I was told my check was mailed on Friday, today is Tuesday and I still didn't receive my check. I do not believe it takes 4 days for mail to come when it was mailed in the same city it is being delivered in. So all that being said I didn't have the $5.00 to pick this product up. I was going to even give in and use my $9.00 in points to get the cost down.

I am going to post my March favorites in a separate post so be sure to go read it when I get it uploaded. Take care you guys and I will talk to you all very soon.

Much Love and God Bless,

Kelleyjo