Ipsy February

With 2015 being the year of 'being content' and 'focusing on what I have' I realize that there is no longer a want or need for Ipsy in my life so, right after this bag shipped, I canceled my subscription.  Of course, I really loved this month's bag lol!

 This month's Ipsy bag came in this adorable sturdy vinyl bag that I will use for traveling

 I used my points before canceling to get this Bare Minerals 5 in 1 shadow.

 This beautiful blush from Model Co is Cosmopolitan.  I will definitely get some use out of that!

 An eyelash curler is something I will definitely put to good use

 I love face oils so am really excited to get this little bottle by Mitchell and Peach

  As you will see next week in my favorites, I am loving my lip stains right now so this City Colors Lip Stain will be fun to have.

 Eva NYC Up All Night Volumizing Spray will be great for when we travel.

 Overall, this may have been Ipsy's best bag for me!  Totally love everything I got. I am glad to be focusing on what I have but, may well resubscribe in the future once I work through a lot of my stash.  Definitely a fun service that gives me a chance to try products I wouldn't normally get and they are especially great for all the travel that I do.

Sunday Chat: Perfectionism/Accepting Yourself

Elle's Life January

We celebrated New Years at a romantic little Italian place we love to go to in California.  We both had the Chicken Florentine that was covered in the most decadent pesto cream sauce.  Yum! A fabulous way to start the year.

Again, I am fortunate enough to have a lot of my life revolve around getting together with girlfriends which always means good food.

Lunch at Pei Wei's (a fast food version of PF Chang's)

An amazing tortilla soup with beautiful presentation.  They bring it to the table with the chicken, avocado and tortilla strips in a mound in the middle of the bowl and then pour the delicious rich broth all around

Olivia barely got over her cough and then had to go down the mainland for another lumbar puncture and chemo treatment.  She is handling everything like a champ, doing well at school and with all of her sports activities.  She had her 15th birthday in January. Her hair is growing a lot. I swear this girl looks stunning with every look!

  

Olivia and her girlfriend made bows, bracelets and headbands to brighten the day for children and teens in the hospital and to help girls feel pretty when they lose their hair.  They turned this into a fundraiser by selling their handmade accessories and raised $2,275 to give back to the Ronald McDonald House where they both had extended stays during their treatments. She makes me so proud that I tear up just thinking about it. If you wish to donate to the Ronald McDonald House please put "On behalf of Olivia" in the comments section https://www.rmhbc.ca/how-to-help/donate-online  

As part of 2015 'being content' and 'focusing on what I have', I have been working on doing an inventory of all of my make-up.  A definitely eye opener that I encourage everyone to do! YouTube videos will be coming soon but here is a sneak peak.  I truly had no idea how much I had.

Sunday Chat: Job Hunting

1. Your resume should be clean and simple.  Try to focus it towards each specific job
2. Take the initiative and reach out to get on their radar.  If they don’t know who you are, they will never call. You have to sell yourself
3. Clean up your social media and ensure it is respectable as companies do check
4. Use social media like twitter to know which companies are hiring
5. Network, network, network: job fairs, friends, linkedin.com 
6. Go on interviews for jobs you don’t think you want. This keeps your interviewing skills sharp and you never know where an opportunity will lead  indeed.com is a great job site
7. Don’t rule out Staffing Agencies or a Headhunter
8. Get an email address so you can follow-up within 24 hours with a thank you note
9. Stay positive. This shows in your confidence in interviewing
10. Consider taking a temporary position as it is sometimes easier to get a job when you have a job.  You can always leave this off of your resume if you choose

Sunday Chat: Communication

Ipsy January

With 2015 being the year of 'being content' and 'focusing on what I have' I realize that there is no longer a want or need for Ipsy in my lfie.

 This month's Ipsy bag came in this adorable sturdy vinyl bag that is white on one side and blue on the other

 I love this brush from Elizabeth Mott shadow brush. 

 This BellePierre Shimmer Shadow looks beautiful but I have enough so I will be giving this away.

  This sample of La Fresh Eco-Beauty Moisturizer will be great for travel.

 This Probelle Into The Blue Nail Lacquer looks beautiful but is not something I would wear (not even on my toes) so I will be giving this away.

 This Pacifica Eye Shadow looks nice but I have enough so I will be giving this away.

I like the bag and the brush and the sample moisturizer but, am disappointed in the other 3 products.  I am cashing in points, I will get one more month of Ipsy and then I will be canceling.

Sunday Chat: Dis-Ease

Q4 Update on my Use Up B.U.S. (Back-Up Stas

Slow and steady, I am putting a dent in my stash

Face & Body Products

Shower Body Products

1 2 x Caress Passionate Spell Body Wash

Bliss Blood Orange Body Wash

Philosophy Hazelnut Espresso Body Wash

Bliss Blood Orange Sugar Scrub

Trader Joe's Lavender Salt Scrub

Yardley Oatmeal & Almond Soap

+Tree Hut Body Wash

Hair Shower Products

Vatika Olive Hair Oil

Suave Almond & Shea Butter Shampoo and Infusion Conditioner

2 x Shimmering Lights Brunette & Red Shampoo 16 oz

Suave Almond & Shea Butter Condition

Loreal Triple Resist Shampoo

Loreal Triple Resist Conditioner 1.7 fl oz

Giovanni Brazilian Keratin & Argan Oil shampoo

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner

Coconut Oil Deep Repair Masque

Hair Chemist Macadamia Oil Deep Repair Masque

Garnier Fructis Triple Nurtition 3 minute Conditioner

After Shower Hair Products

Paul Mitchell Leave In Conditioner 33.8 oz

4 x  5 x Paul Mitchell Freeze & Shine Super Spray 33.5 oz

Perfect Purity Extra Hold Volumizing Mousse

April Hair Mousse

Motions Foaming Wrap Lotion

Tresemme #4 Mousse

1 2 x Loreal Boost It High Life Creation Spray

1 2 x Loreal Boost It Blow Out Heatspray

Garnier Fructis Style Putty

Beyond The Zone Wax It Up

Garnier Fructis Marvelous Oil Deep Nourish

Not Your Mother's Clean Freak Dry Shampoo

Moisturizers

St Ives Skin Renewing Collagen Body Lotion

St Ives Coconut Milk & Orchid Extract Moisturizing Spray

Vaseline Cocoa Radiant Lotion

Bliss Blood Orange Body Butter Moisture Cream

St Ives Timeless Skin Collagen Moisturizer

Neutrogena Make Up Cleanser

CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizer

YES to Carrots Moisturizer

YES to Cucumbers soothing Moisturizer

YES to Cucumbers Soothing Eye Gel

Eucerin Q10 Anti Wrinkle Cream

2 x Trader Joe's Moisturizing Cream

+Dermasil Moisturizer

+Loreal Revitalift moisturizer

+Olay regenerist micro sculpting moisturizer

Face Products

1 x 2 x ROC Retinol Deep Wrinkle Night Cream

Roc  MAX Resurfacing Facial Cleanser

ROC Daily Resurfacing Disks Cleansing Pads

2 x Aloe Vera & Vitamin E Baby Oil

1 x 2 x Loreal Go 360 Clean Deep Cleanser

St Ives Apricot Scrub

Garnier Smoothing Cream Cleanser

Olay Regenerist Night Resurfacing Elixer

Olay Regenerist Micro Sculpting Serum

Loreal Youth Code Texture Perfector

No Change: Note to Self: make-up takes a LONG time to use up!
 Make-Up Products

Foundations

NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat Powder Foundation

Milani Cream to Powder Make-U Warm Beige

Neutrogena Healthy Skin in Nude

Bourjois Healthy Mix in Light Beige

Revlon Colorstay Combination Oily Skin 250 Fresh Beige

Revlon Age Defying 30 Spice Beige

Revlon Age Defying 20 Soft Beige

E.L.F. Foundation in Porcelain

E.L.F. Foundation in Porcelain

NYX Invincible in Porcelain

Cover Girl + Olay 225 

Rimmel Lasting Finish 100 Ivory

Rimmel Lasting Finish 200 Soft Beige

CoverGirl Smoothers Buff Beige

CoverGirl Smoothers Creamy Beige

CoverGirl 3-in-1 Buff Beige

Palladio Wet & Dry Foundation Cypress Beige

Hard Candy Glow All The Way Glamazon Bronze

Bronzers, Powders & Highlighters

E.L.F. Bronzer St Lucia

E.L.F. Bronzer Turks & Caicos

E.L.F. Bronzer Warm

Wet N Wild Starlight Bronzer

Rimmel Bronzer Sunlight

Physician's Formula Youth Wear Powder Beige

Jordana Forever Flawless Powder Creamy Beige

Milani Multitasking Powder Tan

Wet N Wild Reserve Your Cabana

Face Primers & Concealers

1 x 2 x Monistat Chafing Powder Gel

E.L.F. Mineral Face Primer

Garnier Anti Dark Circle Concealer

E.L.F. Corrector in Yellow

2 x NYC Coverstick in Light

Maybelline Age Rewind in Fair

NYC Concealer in Light

Maybelline FitMe Concealer

Essence Cream Concealer

Mascara Brows & Liners

25 Eyeliner Pencils

4 Liquid Eyeliners

3 Eye Primers

8 Mascaras

4 Gel Eyeliners

5 Eyebrow Pencils

2 x Milani Brow Powders

2 Jordana Eye Shadows

NYX Blush in Taupe

Maybelline Shadow in Linen

Maybelline Shadow in Champagne Fizz

2 x Wet N Wild Shadows in Nutty

Wet N Wild Egyptian Sands Eyeshadow

Wet N Wild Cool As A Cucumber Eyeshadow

Jordana Eye Pencil in Eternal White

NYX Eye Pencil in Milk

2 x E.L.F. Under Eye Primer

Maybelline Eyeshadow Primer

Essence I♥Stage Eyeshadow Primer

Jordana Eyeshadow Primer

Sunday Chat: A Void