First up, the Anastasia Contour Kit. I am obsessed!

This one little palette has everything you need to sculpt your face. There are three shades of dark contour powder. Don't shy away from the darkest ones, you can use it very sparingly - as it is very pigmented- to shade your problem areas. This is a fantastic kit. I recommend it to everyone.

Up next, my MAC mineralized skin finish natural in medium dark. It is my most favorite powder. The coverage is perfect for over foundation or over some concealer. I like the new packaging, but I have to say it is a pain to open. 

The lipsticks are MAC Pink Nouveau and Shy Shine. I wore them a ton this summer.

At the bottom is the Marc Jacobs neutral eye shadow palette. The colors are soft and blend-able.

Last but not least, TIEKS! These shoes- which I have in black- are super comfy. There were a birthday present from my sister, and I absolutely adore them.

Face of the day// Face of the night

Face of the day 10/06/13

It's crazy how much the color of your lipstick can change your look dramatically:

September Faves!

I can't believe September is over! This year flew by so quick, and so much has happened in the last year. I wonder what next year will bring. 

Well, let's get on with the beauty products!

Here's a MAC quad I made up last year. I love these colors! Don't they look like Fall?

Top: Texture, Era 

Bottom: Antiqued, Embark

This Elf Baked Eyeshadow in Toast is pretty, but it makes an even better blush/highlight! I've been wearing it on my cheeks all month.

My sister introduced me to this concealer  and I had to get one. It lasts all day, and doesn't look cakey. The only downside is that, way too much comes out when you press the pump. 

Lastly, I've really been into nude lips this month. With my skin tone, what works as a nude for me, might be bolder on you. My two faves this month has been MAC Please Me (top) and Half n' Half (bottom.)

That's all for this month's beauty products! 

Hope you have a lovely October!

Autumn Haul

Here are a few pieces I picked up recently for Autumn:

I've wanted this bag for ages. It looks like the Alexander Wang Rocco bag ($925 - no thanks!) , but it isn't. I found this one on eBay for a whopping $33. Not bag for an exact copy. 

I desperately needed a new Fall jacket. This one is black, and bomber style. I also picked up this scarf in what was described online ass "mustard," but when I received in, it was in fact just bright yellow. Disappointed, but what are you going to do?

These shoes were a gift from my sister.

Lastly, I picked up a bag from the Phillip Lim for Target collection, which goes nicely with this leopard scarf, also from my sister. 

FOTN

September 20, 2013. 

On Friday night I went to dinner with my hubby, and decided to break out my MAC palette. 

On my eyes I have MAC Shroom all over the lid, MAC Satin Taupe in the crease, and MAC Sketch in the outer corner. I'm also wearing MAC Blacktrack fluid line, and MAC Zoom Lashes. 

When I first started to get into makeup, I was all about MAC, but I've since grown to love other brands. Whenever I do use my MAC products, I feel like I did the first time I bought them!

Spiced Coffee Recipe

One of my favorite things about Fall, is the seasonal coffee. Every coffee shop you walk into has some variation of spiced coffee. When Starbucks puts out their Pumpkin Spice Latte its the unofficial start of Autumn. 

Instead of paying extra for the specialty coffee, or if you don't feel like going out, try my recipe. 

Spices you need: Allspice, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger

Since we're making this in a coffee maker, you don't need to use the ground version if you don't have it. Whole spices are fine. Also, if you don't like or have allspice, or cloves, then leave it out. The coffee will taste great anyways!

Combine and mix well in a small bowl, as much or as little of each, according to your tastes. Remember that nutmeg is very strong. I used about 2 tbsp of each. 

Fill your coffee maker with water, and get your coffee, and sugar ready. 

Put your desired amount of coffee, sugar ( this is optional, and make sure that using sugar here is okay for your particular coffee maker,) and the spices.

Mix well with fork, and that's it! Let the coffee maker do the rest!

It smells so good when it's brewing! Enjoy!

Favorite fall nail polishes

I have a major problem with nail polishes. I'm obsessed. In fact, I asked my hubby to make me a nail polish rack for our anniversary! During the Autumn season, we tend to lean toward richer, deeper colors. It mimics the changing of the season, and the longer nights.  Here's my ultimate Fall nail polish list:

First up are the berry/oxblood colors. (Left to Right) Milani- Black Cherry, Sally Hansen- Pat on the Black, Orly- Bus Stop Crimson, Butter London- La Moss. 

Next up are my favorite nudes for this time of year. Butter London- Yummy Mummy, OPI Samoan Sands, Orly- Nite Owl

Up next are my favorite brown shades. OPI- My Private Jet, Essie- Little Brown Dress , Butter London- Shag ( a bit more copper than brown,) ORLY- Buried Alive ( My absolute FAVORITE fall nail color!) 

Jewel tones are always in for the Fall season. Zoya- Gem, China Glaze-Stella, China Glaze- Sassy, China Glaze- Let's Groove.

Lastly, some darker colors. Sephora by OPI- Never Enough Shoes, China Glaze- Rendezvous with you, Essie- Smokin' Hot.

FOTN

Please excuse the quality of the pictures, because they were taken with my iPhone, under poor lighting. Tonight, my hubby and I had dinner at his parent's house along with a few other family members. The weather was finally chilly so I decided to go with a darker lip

 ( MAC Retro,) and sparkly neutral eyes ( MAC/ Lorac.)

I can't say enough good things about Lorac Unzipped, but I will review that in my next post. On my lashes, I used Benefit's They're Real Mascara. I love it, but it's a pain to remove!

After dinner, my hubby and I went up to the balcony and enjoyed the view. Hope you had a great Friday night! 

Ipsy

 I've been subscribed to Ipsy since July. The $10/mo beauty box is something I look forward to every month. To be honest, I wasn't crazy about the first bag I got, but I'm glad I stuck with it for a few months, because it hasn't disappointed since. 

This month's theme is "Classic Beauty." 

This month's bag:

Upon first opening the bag, I was absolutely blown away that I received a half-sized bottle of Butter London's La Moss nail polish ( Full Size $14). It is the perfect dark berry nail color for the Fall/Winter. BTW: a 99% DUPE match for this color is Milani's Black Cherry( Full Size $5). The only difference in color are the tiny sparkles in Milani's Black Cherry which can only be seen close up. Holding your hand in front of you, you can barely tell the difference in color. 

The eye kohl, and lip stain, I have to play around with for a bit, but they do have staying power. The swatches did not come off easily. I didn't open the mascara yet, as I tend to keep the samples for traveling, and while I love NYX's products, I'm not too crazy about the color of this eye shadow. It's a pale yellow which won't show up on my skin very nicely. 

All, in all, I do like the bag this month. For $10, it's completely worth it! 

Finding yourself

Take it from me when I tell you that so many of life's hardest questions could be solved if you know who you are.You might think, "Yeah, I know who I am." But do you, really? Taking the time to self -actualize is so worth it. 

The quality of your relationships, the career path you choose, your health, your marriage, your parenting, all stems from that ever evolving knowledge of the person you are. I say ever evolving because you are always changing. The things you see and experience on an everyday basis will change you. It's a never ending process, but that's a good thing!

One important thing to remember through this process, is that you are a valuable being and you deserve to be happy. You know when they say, you're the only person that can make you happy? That's true! No one else knows you better than yourself. No one has to live with your every decision but YOU! You have everything you need to be happy right now. 

Getting to know yourself, and loving yourself will improve the quality of your life.

So, how do you start?

1) Start a journal or a blog: this is a great way to discover things you like/dislike about yourself, or in the beginning, about life in general. 

2) Think about this question, what would you like to change about yourself, and how can you go about doing that? What small changes can you make NOW?

3) Be grateful. Find some time in your day to say five things you are grateful for. Not too hard right? This could be when you're sitting in the train/car, before bed, waiting on line..ect. Start small, for example: I'm grateful that I woke up this morning, or I'm grateful that I'll talk to my mom today. You get the idea. Later on after you've gotten into this habit, you'll find more and more things to be grateful for. 

4) Stay positive. I'll write a blog post about positivity later on, but for now, reach for those better feeling thoughts!

5) Get out there and try new things! Make an effort to do things you enjoy, and to experience things you've never done before. 

This list could go on, and on. once you start, you'll find new ways of appreciating yourself, and your life!

A (small) Autumn haul

 Soon the sunshine will highlight the bright oranges, reds, and brown leaves, and the crisp Autumn breeze will sweep them off their branches. In anticipation of Autumn I have already been eyeing a few things I'd like to purchase for the home. I stop myself, and think, "It's too early." 

Although the weather has already started changing, with cool mornings and colder nights, and Starbucks have brought back their Pumpkin Spice Latte, a sure sign, it's Autumn, I'm waiting to purchase the bigger items.

I couldn't help myself when it came to the candles thought. They were on sale! That's enough rationalization for me! It was the Labor Day sale from Bath and Body Works, and I picked up the Nutmeg and Spice, Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin, Leaves, and Autumn candles. All of them divine, and highly recommended!

I also picked up this phone case because it's from one of my favorite movies, Beetlejuice, and I was thinking about Halloween: 

That's all the Autumn related purchases for now, but more to come!

I visited a friend of mine last week at her house out in Long Island. She’s married, with two kids under the age of four. She left her job in real estate to be a stay at home mom. When I first walked in the door she led me to the living room where she’d put out drinks and appetizers. Her house was immaculate, her kids were tidy and quietly playing, and I could smell dinner being cooked. It blew my mind, and I have to admit, it made me feel less.

We chatted about our lives, and who we’d run into lately, people from the old crowd, current events, and the whole time she was just so calm and collected, even as the kids spilled their drinks and jumped on the furniture.

As the evening wound down, I just had to ask her how she did it all. She looked at me with a smile, and said, “I just have too.” She continued on, telling me about how she never had a minute to herself, and how sometimes she regretted leaving her job. She said it wasn't easy, but it was worth it to spend time with the kids.

I left feeling somewhat embarrassed that I wasn't doing as much as I could. I walked into my house, looked around and thought, I’m going to try.

Working a full time job, and taking care of the home is not easy. When I finish working the last thing I want to do is clean the dishes, or do laundry. But what I've learnt is that doing those things, is what makes a house a home.

So this week, I pushed myself to do a little cleaning everyday- by Wednesday it became maintenance really, and cooking something good for dinner. And can I say, I am so satisfied. Walking into my home now, to a clean house, and a full refrigerator makes me feel like I’m getting somewhere.

This may seem like a no-brainer to some women, but it’s not easy for me. I read blogs where women sew clothes for their kids, or make drapes, and clean the house, and cook three meals a day, and have time to participate in the PA. These women are superwomen. I am not, yet.

The meals I cooked this week: