My Beauty Arsenal

1. Boscia B.B. Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 27 - I just started using BB cream - after hearing about it for ages, I finally started selecting the BB cream samples with my semi-regular Sephora orders. This was the first one I really liked. It goes on smooth and really makes me feel like my skin is damn near flawless.

2. Sephora Classic Brow Brush - I pair this with #6 to fill in my uber-light brows. It's the perfect size and shape.

3. Diorshow Iconic Mascara - I am a stickler for mascaras that are high quality and come in brown as well as the usual black. This was I can go brown for the every day and black when I go out in the evenings. I haven't been using this mascara very long, but I am already loving the brush. It goes on even and doesn't clump. I just wish it weren't quite SO waterproof. It's great for sweaty yoga classes, but kind of a pain to take off every night.

4. Sephora Microsmooth Baked Foundation - I like to just do a light dusting all over my face after I put on my BB cream and it stays all day.

5. First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream - Possibly my favorite thing on the planet. It doesn't have sunscreen, so it's part of my evening regime - but I can't even begin to tell you how amazingly refreshing it is to put this stuff on every night. It's like my face can breathe. It's only just now occurred to me that I can use it during the day as long as I pair it with my BB cream, which has SPF 27. Win.

6. Benefit Cosmetics Brow Zings - I decided to try this when my former go-to brow color was out of stock. It's worked out fantastic. No regrets whatsoever.

7. bareMinerals All-Over Face Color - I use this in place of a full on bronzer - just applying lightly under my cheekbones and under my chin to slim out my naturally soft looking face a bit. I like that it comes in a variety of shades so you can determine how dark you want to go.

8. Stila Smudge Pot Gel Eyeliner - I only wear this when I'm dressing up, but it's awesome. I originally bought it for my wedding makeup, and I still use it pretty regularly. Though I don't dress up all that often. I pair it with an offset eyeliner brush, like this one and get a perfect black line as thin or thick as I want, all the way across my upper lid.

9. mark Eyeshadow Brush - I like the way this eyeshadow brush tapers to a subtle point. It allows me to get more color in the crease without getting color everywhere. It's also a really soft brush and it holds color really well, so you don't need to keep going back for more shadow.

10. bareMinerals Broad Spectrum Multitasking Face - I really only use this on days when I feel like my skin does not look awesome - if I broke out or am feeling splotchy or puffy. It's a fantastic concealer and it will stay in place all day as long as you're not messing with it.

11. mark All Over Eyeshadow Brush - This is the best eyeshadow brush I have ever owned. I probably should get a new one, but I am attached to this one and it still works fine, so I keep putting it off. It just looks a little worse for wear. I just swipe it across the shade I want to use all over my lids, the swoosh swoosh and done. It's magic. I also like to go back over lightly with this brush for a little subtle blending.

12. Clinique All About Shadow Duo - My current go-to eyeshadows. I use the light all over the lid, and then I do like a half moon shape catching at the my upper liner and curving around into the crease. I love these nuetral colors for every day. The dark is just the right amount of dark that it can be taken to either extreme for a super nuetral look, or a night out look.

That pretty much covers it for my current makeup regime. Do you have any favorites you're obsessed with? I'd love to hear about them.
My favorites are changing all the time. There are so many great products out there!

Recap Fall 2012

When does fall officially end? Are the seasons different because I'm in SoCal? Does that kind of cancel out winter?

I'm confusing myself.

Here's my "Fall" aka mid-September through Early December in Instagram...

We started off with a bang. Our anniversary wasn't even over when sickness crept into our house.

I made caramel mocha brownies to make myself feel better. It was mostly spiritual. ;)

My mom trained me to takeover as designated maker of fig pinwheel cookies.

Christmas Wishlist 2012 & a Stocking Stuffer Giveaway

100% serious. I'm a grown up. (Ok, maybe 90% serious)

Husband and I try very hard to be financially responsible, but if I really wanted, I could run around town and blow all my money on things I want this time of year. How-ev-ah, because it's Christmas, I have made a list of fun things I would like to have at my disposal.

My Christmas Wishlist

Holiday Mark Party & Pottery Boutique

Hey guys, my mom makes beautiful pottery. She's so talented. Seriously.

I'm a mark rep, which is awesome too. :)

Tuesday night we had a holiday boutique. She got out all of her amazing pottery, I brought out my mark. demos , and we had people over for shopping and snacks.

I had a big table set up in the living room.

The bath & body line is my favorite, especially the Jasmin.

Everyday Essentials + GIVEAWAY!

Try as I might, I am not a fashionista by any means. I have trouble justifying wearing nice outfits because A) so few people will be able to see or appreciate them or B) I'm afraid the people that do see me will think I'm dressed up for something special. This is something I need to work on.

I do, however, have a handful of beauty essentials that I need to get me through the everyday. 

1. Sephora Microsmooth Face Foundation - This is a relatively recent discovery for me. I ran out of foundation while on vacation earlier this summer and found this gem at the train station - of all places. Amazing. It's just sheer enough that I don't feel like I'm piling cake onto my face, but provides a good amount of coverage and keeps me from getting too shiny.

Yoga Teacher Training - Want some makeups?

Wow, I can't believe it's August already. I think it's time to do a little update on becoming a yogi.

First of all, this is happening, like, for realsies.

A couple weeks ago, I sat down with my husband and really talked about it - where the programs were, how much they cost, when they start, how long they run, would I be happier/more fulfilled in life, how our lives would change when/if I went through with it - and we decided F*CK IT. We have the money. It's not going to be easy to say goodbye to, but I know it will be worth it, and I know I'm sick of waiting around for people to order enough cake and makeup to pay for it.

I already know I'm good at talking in front of a group of people. I did it competitively for four years. I should be able to talk pretty while walking around folks and guiding them through asanas. ;)

I've been contacting yoga studios to find the right fit. I love yogis. They're such wonderful, warm, genuine people. They make me want to take my training at all of them. Every single person I've talked to has been so helpful and so excited that I contacted them.
Unfortunately, a lot of it is coming down to when and where the programs are - Fall in the valley versus Winter in Santa Monica? Fall in the Valley wins.

I posted a few months ago about yoga and putting cake and mark. sales towards teacher training.
Here's the thing about that. I feel like an a-hole constantly self-promoting about that. I did it for a while. I felt like an annoying a-hole, so I stopped. I still, technically, sell mark., but it's turned too much into just buying stuff for myself, when I should be saving that money and putting towards getting into a career that will make me happy. The point here is that I've decided to sell off my overstock - trying to recoup some of my losses and not take such a financial hit when I go ahead and do YTT anyway.
I made up a whole list of everything and I'll be selling it for super cheap. I don't really want to put the whole thing up on my blog, so let me know if you're interested in some cheap mark. products and I'd love to email it to you.

To sum up, I love yoga. I am so excited that this is actually happening and the best choice is to proceed. Please help a girl out. No pressure. ;)

On a totally random sidenote: how come all bloggers are also professional photographers? All my photos look like garbage compared to some of the other stuff out there.

Hooray! Mark. Party!

It's an exciting week for me because this week commences my very first online mark. party! Woohoo!

It's being hosted by the lovely and talented Kim. We're giving away all kinds of free stuff through raffles and gifts with purchase. For serious, you should check it out here and get all the details. Then make sure to follow the links and register at my eboutique so you're entered to win free stuff! :)

Yay! I'm so excited!