Saying Goodbye to 2012

**** TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO ENTER THE NEW YEARS GIVEAWAY! BE SURE TO GO ENTER IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY. A $25 AMAZON GC IS THE PRIZE****

Hi friends! I hope your all had an amazing weekend. Since today's New Years Eve and I'm preparing to bring in the New Year with my man, I thought I'd reflect with you guys on this past year!

In 2012...

- I learned that life as a SAHM to a toddler is freakin' hard
- We celebrated our 9th year as a couple, and spent another holiday season together
- We lost our baby Diva. This is a sad subject for me, I love my dog, and hated having to put her down. We miss everyday.
- My relationship with my mom, as well as dad and brother, has grown into something so beautiful. They are my biggest supporters and I love them to death.
- We had an awesome superman 1st birthday party for B and now we're planning #2
- We spent sunny days playing at the park, splashing in the pool, or just taking a walk. We loved being outside, it was a daily routine.
- Baby B started talking and now at 23 months he says full sentences, can count to 10, says his ABC's, and knows his name (can you tell I'm proud)

In 2013...

- We plan on getting married, regardless if it's big or not
- I want to post regularly on my blog as well as social media sites
- Take Bobby to the beach for a family getaway
- I want to learn to be more organized and have a more methodical way of thinking. I watch OrganizedlikeJen on Youtube, and in her daily vlogs she is so methodical. She has a plan for everything and I love that about her. You should check out her videos and blog.
- Of course I have to put in the eat better or take better care of myself.


I love the start of a new year. It's a new chapter to the story of your life, and you can write it however you like. You first need to know what you want, then must think like it's yours. The power of positive thinking is extremely possible, you just have to think about what you want: or how you want your life. I plan using this to my families full advantage!


From my family to yours, we hope your New Years is beautiful and prosperous!

DIY Make Up Tips- Using Eyeshadow as Lip Color

Using eyeshadow to create a new lip color, is just one way you can interchange make up products. Some make up artist do this trick so they save space in their kit. Make Up is a medium which can be used in a number of different ways. Using clear lip gloss, Vaseline, or chap stick along with any eyeshadow you can create your own DIY Lipstick.

I've been experimenting with differeng color using the Coastal Scents 88 Palette. This palette is available on Amazon, but you can use any palette or colors you want. Ulta and Sephora always have a wide selection of palettes and colors. I feel like when I use eyeshadow on my lips it helps the color to stay on longer and make it more opaque. I think I'm going to try to use a L'orel Infalliable Eyeshadow since they have 24hr staying power, I'm curious to see how well they last on the lip.

Here are the steps and some tips!
- Make sure the your lips are hydrated. The powder will make any dry skin appear even dryer, and that is not cute... I know from experience.
- Apply a concealer or foundation over your entire lip. This will help the color to show up and last longer.
- Use a lip brush to get a precise outline. If you don't have a lip brush you can use a clean angled brush.
- I just use my brush or finger directly in the shadow, then apply it to my lip. I think apply the clear gloss to my finger and blend the color together.
- But you could also scrape the shadow off and onto a clean surface, then mix it with the clear gloss until you achieve the desire shade.
- You can try dabbing a small amount of gloss to the center of lips to make your lips appear larger.
- Go bold! You can see what looks good on you and what doesn't, withoutthe risk wasting money.

That's exactly what I did when I saw MAC Rebel. I was intrigued my the purplish tone, but wasn't sure if it would work on me. Once I created a purplish lip color, I loved it. I've went out and got Rebel and I LOVE IT but it's just as easy to use eyeshadow to create a close dupe! Here's a side by side.

From everyday to over the top, you can create a long lasting lip color using eyeshadow you might already have. Just because it's sold as a certain product does not mean it's limited to just that!
****Be sure to enter the $25 Amazon Instant Gift Card giveaway! It ends Jan 1st.****

Today's Make-Up Look... FOTD

Happy Thursday Friends! Today I want to share a FOTD(face of the day). I really liked my makeup today and thought I'd share.

Face
MAC Prep and Prime
Maybelline Age Rewind Foundation
Maybelline Age rewind concealer
Lorel True Match Powder
MAC Gold-Go-Lightly bronzer as contour
NYC Bronzer in Sunny
MAC Pinch 'O Peach blush
MAC MSF in Soft and Gentle (highlighting cheekbone and t-zone)
UD All Nighter Setting Spray

Eyes
MAC Constructivist paint pot on lid
NYX Eyeshadow Trio in Dune
Elf Liquid Liner (love)
Elf Brow Kit in Medium
Maybelline mascara

Lips
MAC Lady Gaga lipstick over Dr. Pepper Chap stick


Thanks for stopping by ladies, it means so much to have you read and comment.

Trend Alert Tuesday: Monthly Subscription Websites

Hi friends, Welcome Back to another Trend Alert Tuesday! This weeks trend is Subscription Websites. I feel like all I hear about now are these monthly subscription websites. They have make-up, clothes, shoes, beauty, and even undies! Holy cow they’re killing me with all this. I have to admit that I haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, but some have caught my eye. Others seem to get a ton of positive feedback, while others have a ton of negative. If you’re not familiar with how these work, you sign up for free, then do the survey so they can find your style (not all do this, but most) then each month you can pick from your showroom which item you like. Others send you 3-5 sample size products to try. The prices range from 10.00-80.00, and shipping dates vary. You can cancel at any time, or with some you don’t have to buy anything that month if you don’t want to. Here are the ones that have received positive reviews, that I would try.

Shoemint

All the shoes are manufactured by Steve Madden and tend to have that similar look. You get a number of different shoes to choose from that are selected for your style. They have a wide variety of style, and some are super cute! I loved all the shoes that they picked for me, but what I didn’t like was the price. I believe it was an about $80.00 for a pair of shoes. For me, that’s too high to spend on a pair of shoes that I don’t get to try on before buying. Other people have brought from Shoemint and love the shoes.Most people say the shoes seem to be great quality. If you like trendy styles and don’t mind spending that much, I would say try this. They always have discounts available for you first purchase, so look online for coupon codes

Just Fab

This is the same exact style as Shoemint, but with a price of $40.00. This site was created by Kimora Lee Simons. I believe Just Fab automatically ships 1 pair of shoes to you each month, and if you don’t like your pick you just send them back. My co-worker uses this website and she says that she likes it because it gives her a chance to get shoes she wouldn’t normally pick out for herself.

Birchbox

Birchbox sends deluxe sample size products each month for about $10.00. This is an automatic ship, and you don’t normally get to choose what you get. They normally send 1 full size product, but this isn’t always. I’ve seen a ton of girls who love what they get each month. Prior samples have been Essie nail polish, Tarte lip stain, and other full size products. To me $10.00 seems like a fair price to pay for samples of products to try. There was a waiting list when I went to join, so I’m guessing it’s pretty popular.

Little Black Bag

 This is a new subscription site that I’ve seen, and I really like the concept.. You get 3 high end products that total a value of $100. It could be jewelry, make-up, home products, handbags, and other similar products. Each month you choose 1 of your items. The other two are picked randomly for you. If you pick a more expensive item, your other two will be smaller items. You then get to see everything in your bag, and if you don’t want what they chose, you can try to trade with the other people on the site. The reviews have said that this is a fun way to try and get everything you want. You have 1 week to try and trade, then your little black bag is shipped. I think this site cost $60.00 per month, but remember you’re getting full size, higher end products.

I’m only going to tell you about one site that has received a number of negative reviews.

My Glam Bag

I personally haven’t tried this site, but most of the girls I know that have subscribed, ended up cancelling a couple months after. They were not happy with the product samples they received for a number of months. 

I hope this gives you some in site on the world of subscription sites. It can be so confusing and at times seem like a scam, but if you go with the right site you can get some great products at a steal. If you have any sites that you think are positive or negative, please share in the comments.

Smart and Sassy Keys!

Hi Friends! I hope your having an amazing weekend. I want to share a little project that's quick but cute. I'm always confused by all the different keys I have on my key ring, and of course I could buy one of those colored thing, but that's boring! I saw this on Pinterest, and had to do it. Adding glitter to your keys is a great way to tell the difference between keys, while looking girly and cute. Smart and Sassy!  I love glitter, like who doesn't?!?



Here's what I used;
Glitter Glue ($1.00 at Joanne's Fabric)
Glitter ($1.00 at Joanne's)
Clear nail polish
Your key



Take the glitter glue and outline the top of the key. The more glue you use, the clumpier it will look, so try not to use too much.


This is what it will look with the glitter glue. You could always stop here, but I wanted more glitter!


While the glue is wet, dip it into the glitter. You might have to do the entire top of the key. Make sure to shake off the excess.


Tada! You have a blinged out key. Your going to repeat the same steps for the opposite side. The last add clear nail polish to both sides. This will help keep the glitter in place.


Here's how silver and gold look. I really like the gold key!
::note to self:: Paint my nail tonight, my nails are a hot mess lol






If you want to see where I got my Pinspiration click here. I'm off to finish my cleaning because tomorrow we're taking B to the zoo for the first time. It's supposed to be in the 80's, so it should be a great day. Anyone doing anything this weekend? Regardless have a great day, and thanks for reading!

I'm giving away a $50.00 Amazon gift card on the 5minutesformom blog party so make sure you go enter and follow me on twitter @Sensation_Finds to hear the winner!

IT'S PRIME TIME!

PRIME TIME by smallysmallz04 featuring a face makeup
Hey friends, today I want to talk about PRIMER. I'm not too sure how many of you do or do not use one. I'm very curious to know as well. I use one, every time I do make up (except for when I'm half asleep and forget). I started using one about 5 years ago and instantly saw a difference.  I have larger sized pores and uneven skin tone. My primer helps reduce the pore size and even out my skin before applying my foundation. Some primers can can be just as expensive as the foundation, but I highly recommend spending that extra money, so you get the best results from your foundation. I think it's just like an eye shadow base, you don't have to have one, but your eye make up will look so much better when you wear one. Even if your not wearing liquid foundation, a primer can be worn before mineral foundation, concealer, powder, or worn alone. Wearing a primer can help your makeup stay on longer, look less crusty around dry patches (cause I know we all have them), fill in fine lines, and help combat excess oil. I absolutely love how smooth and soft my skin feels after applying a primer. Nobody wants to add another step to their routine, but this step is only going to enhance your look.

 MAC Prep and Prime is the one that I tried first, and still love to this day. I highly recommend this one! The other one on my list that I've tried to fall in love with is the Smashbox Photo Finish. I just recently brought the color correcting and didn't notice a difference at all. My make-up went on the same and didn't last all day. I know tons of other girls who love it, so it might just be me!

I hope you go to your local Sephora and get a sample of any of these primers, I promise you won't be disappointed. Sephora is the best for samples you can try any product they sell. This takes away some of the pressure of buying something you aren't sure you'll like. If you have any primer recommendations, let me know so I can try them! Thanks for stopping by, talk to you soon!

Bare escentuals makeup
$22 - macys.com

Too Faced Cosmetics face makeup
$30 - sephora.com

Smashbox makeup primer
$38 - nordstrom.com

Benefit Cosmetics makeup primer
$29 - sephora.com

Beauty product
$33 - amazon.com

Trend Alert Tuesday: Floral Print

Hey friends! Welcome back to another Trend Alert Tuesday! The trend that I've seen and started to love is FLORAL! I can remember being a little girl and my beautiful mother always wore floral print. She wasn't into fashion, she just like flowers. Floral prints always take me back to seeing her in different floral ensembles. So like all trends it's made it's way back in style, and I don't mind at all! I think it's all about how you style it, and make it work for your style. I'm by no means a fashionista. I just know what I like, and what looks best on me. Maybe you aren't ready to try this trend, which I understand because it's a bold pattern. You could add a floral print into your home decor or accessories. Floral is feminine, girly, and a great way to add color. Here are a few different options I found that are cute and wearable, fashionista or not.

source

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The way the floral pants are paired with this sleek black shirt, looks sophisticated and classic. I love this outfit!
source

Altuzarra's white leather floral panel dress
source

Peter Som's floral chiffon dress
source

Jason Wu's collaboration with graffiti artist KAWS
source

source

Kate Spade
source

 

Here's how I' added a small floral pattern to my work outfit. This picture was taken at work, but I wanted to show how I styled this trend.

I plan on buying floral jeans, as wells as floral print dresses. Even though the floral on floral looks is a little too much for myself, I love floral worn separately. What are you guys thinking of floral patterns? Too Grandma or Too Cute? 

Perfectly Imperfect: Garnier BB Cream Review

The Garnier BB cream is a product I've been excited to try. The reviews online are split, either you love it or you hate. Not everyone is looking for same look, so I think you should first ask yourself, “How do I want your foundation to look?" My answer would be; I want a flawless looks that covers and brightens. I personally tend to go for a more full coverage foundation. I have occasional breakouts, redness, and discoloration. My face can be a hot mess, especially during the colder months since I’m lighter and have no tan. A tan helps to hide these imperfections, so I can wear a lighter coverage foundation. I don't always have to wear full coverage foundation; I have no problem leaving the house without make-up. For this reason, I love the Garnier BB Cream.

Now that I'm a working mama, the weekends are all about family. If we aren't taking a walk, at the playground, or running errands, we're at home chasing Baby B around the house acting like kids ourselves. I like to be comfortable and not have to spend much time getting ready. On the days that I go to work it takes me about 1 hour to get completely ready. I try not to take that long on the weekends I can instead be spending time with my little maniac (nor will be allow it). I like to apply my usual MAC prep and prime, Garnier BB cream, concealer, powder, mascara, and sometimes eyeliner. That's about half of what I wear during the week. It takes about 15 minutes to do, it looks natural and effortless

The pros: Gives your skin a bright and radiant glow

                Lightweight

                Inexpensive

                SPF 15

                 Can double as a primer.

The cons: The smell is too strong

                Can start to look oily and little dirty by the end of the day

                Needs at least 1 more color option

                

The coverage does what it says. It evens out your skin tone, brightens, hydrates, and I'm not too sure about the renewing. 3 out of 4 ain't bad! The product is light weight, so you feel like you’re only wearing moisturizer. While it still evens out your skin tones and gives a healthy glow. If you have some areas where you feel like you need a little more coverage, just apply a little concealer over top. It retails for around $12.00 at any drugstore. To me that’s a reasonable price, plus you can always find deals and coupons. The some higher end BB Creams can retail for more than $25.00. In my pros I said that you can wear the BB cream as a primer. I didn't know about this until a girl on The Nest said it (Thanks GoDawg). I tried it, and really liked it. It gave my skin a radiant glow, which my foundation doesn't normally do. So if you’re not a fan of the product, try it under your foundation, you might like it.

As for the cons, the smell is way too much! I'm not sure if all the Garnier skin care products have this, but I tried one of their moisturizer and it had the same exact smell. I would prefer anything going on my face not to have a fragrance. By the end of the day I started to notice that the products started to make my face look dirty. I don't know if it oxidized weirdly on my skin, but let me know if that happened to you. If you have oily skin, you are going to have to touch up with powder.  Since the product hydrates, it can over hydrate us ladies with oily skin. Now to the shades, or should I say lack thereof. The color matched fine with my complexion. I have an olive complexion, so anyone darker then me might have issues. I know the Asian BB creams come in even lighter shades, and they don't make darker shades, but I wish Garnier would have tried to accommodate everyone.

So to wrap up this extremely long review, I like the product for what it is, a drugstore BB Cream. It's priced well, works well, but isn't made for all skin tones. If you want to try this product, keep in mind that you aren't buying something to mask all your imperfections. It's meant to even and brightens, but it lightweight and has sheer coverage. I think women with aging skin will love this product because it won't set into any fine lines or wrinkles. It's hydrating is women with dry skin will love what it does. If you have discoloration, it will give you more even skin tone. 

It's perfect for the gym, the beach, moms on the go,  younger girls who are just starting to wear make-up, days when you don't want to do a whole lot, or women with aging skin.

I took pictures to show you how it looks from start to finish. I hope I don't scare you too bad with the lovely no make-up shots! I'm perfectly imperfect :)

The left side has the BB cream. The skin without any product. Can you see how red and blotchy my skin looks.

BB cream on the left/ bare skin on the right (eeek I look TERRIBLE)

Here I wearing BB Cream on the entire face. I also filled in my brows

Same as above

This is the final look. I added concealer to my under eyes, around my noses, and to my spots.  I have bronzer and blush on my cheeks, Light sweep of eyeshadow, Liquid liner, and mascara. I did a pink lip as well.

You can still see some imperfections, but it only takes me about 15 minutes and I'm done.  

It's up to you how much extra make-up you want to add. I suggest you add something so your face so doesn't look as flat. if you add color to your cheeks and mascara to your eyes, those features will pop.

*** I was given this product to review. This is 100% my honest opinion. If you want to review products like this, become a bzzagent like me. Here's the link if you'd like**

We heart Toys!

I want to share some of the toys that B loves. He just recently started to show interest in real toys and not just  infant toys. It's so fun to sit down with him and watch him play. He even started to play independently, while I do the dishes or fold the laundry. That makes me one happy mama since I can get more things done.  I absolutely hate buying toys at full price. He plays with them for 10 minutes, then goes back to the ones I got for cheap! So I plan on going to this huge consignment sale they have twice a year and buying a bunch of toys for the next couple months. I've brought the majority of his toys from consignment sales or Craigslist, and I encourage you to do so too! They even have a website that works just like Netflix but you rent toys! Here's the link it's called Toygaroo, I plan on checking it out and will post a review once I use the service.
 

Here are the toys that B loves and plays with almost everyday! You can find most of them on Amazon if you want more details and reviews.

Leap Frog Learn and Groove Musical Table

V-tech Move and Crawl ball

Graco Jump 'n Jive Doorway Jumper

Fisher Price Laugh 'n Learn Puppy

Fisher Price Little Superstar Jammin' Band Piano