Blush strokes..

*First off let me preface this by saying I HATE DOING THIS TO PEOPLE.
Sephora you are killing me right now.
this is my new favorite blush palette, I went online at this very moment to link it in this post and it seems the palette is no longer available AND I could not find these exact colours for individual sale.

this may be an error
maybe you can find them yourself, maybe try a different approach..
I just know I spent 10 mins searching (that's all I can spare with an Ellibelly 2 year old around)
I am sorry.

Where we can go from here is to be like,

"Heyyyy I LOVE Tarte blushes! if you have a chance to try them or buy them ASAP before they leave the internet.. you totally should!"

 

I love tarte products in general so here's the link to Tarte stuff:

TARTE!

 

I am suppose to be on a shopping freeze but a few weeks ago when I saw this palette I knew I HAD TO HAVE IT.

 

I couple of years ago I splurged at Christmas and got the tarte pin up girl blush palette. (see far below pics, now or just wait and get thurrrr whenev)

 

I loved that palette!

I always knew I would love tarte blush even before I ever tried it.

I could tell by the reviews and blog swatches that it was a creamy, great colour selection and I just hadn't got around to picking an individual colour yet.

 

So already in love with the blush I bit the bullet on the Tarteist palette and DO NOT REGRET.

Its my favorite blush selection by far and I cannot stop wearing it.

I fear I may actually hit pan in this palette!

 

The packaging is gorgeous!

I love this so so so much more than the pin up girl package.

The tarteist is so slim, light weight and I am a sucker for those pink flowery brush stroke things.

Live, laugh, love, dream

CHEESE

but I don't care

I love those colours with all my heart!

I started off using dream on the daily but now I cannot give up live.

It is soooooo summery, looks great on tanned or fair skin

 

*laugh is the only sparkly of the bunch, I don't dislike it but the lights at work are so harsh I have to stick to the mattes or I will glow

I cant get enough!

I went to find photos of me wearing live and since its been all I've worn, the below photos are just the daily "Live"ing I've been doing..

*toilet photobomb..

I'm done cropping, I told you!

plus we talked about colonoscopies last post.. we know each other ;)

 

side by side

pin up girl 2014

tarteist 2016

 

love how they slimmed it down in every way!

Pin up girl palette 2014^

those colours!!

I got SO much use out of this palette, it was still my go to before I got the tarteist.

the only shade I barely touched was the nude on the end

I never really know how to use nude blush..

that's that!
happy blushing <3

Let's talk about tattoos...

I have always wanted a tattoo
I've probably asked FB a billion times what artist I should go to BUT every time I'd chicken out..
I knew what I wanted

I had wanted it since I was 15 years old..
 

 

A horseshoe!

we grew up with horses and ponies at my grandparents house so I knew someday I would have a permanent shoe on me.

(one time our miniature pony walked on my foot and I had a temporary horseshoe shaped bruise...)

See Leona Lewis' tattoo above and that was the closest horseshoe to what I was picturing.

I always wanted it on my foot but as I got older I said YOLO lets get it on a more visible area.

 

The problem..

NEEDLES

I hate them!

my body HATES them

I pass out always

belly button pierced = passed out

flat on the floor

colonoscopy = passed out

BTW a colonoscopy is the worst

I had one about 4 years ago, family health issues, so its nice to be proactive

but seriously..

 

^ they put that needle IV thing in my arm and sent me to the waiting room to well, wait. hahah

imagine being weak with hunger and deadly afraid of needles

I passed out 4 times that day...

I hit my head on the wall and I fell on the ground 4 TIMES..

awkward....

 

So for me to get the nerve to finally do the tattoo was huge!

and really that's it!

my sister and I went together

see below for photos! :)

pre tattoo, naked skin!^

I look like garb, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I was about to puke...

^ I went first because I was SO scared

I had my vomit bag, I said I would def pass out..

turns out I was CRAZY

It barely felt like anything

I feel so silly for waiting 15 years lol

maybe its because I gave birth and after that scary insane birth story anything feels like a walk in a park.. I really cant say for sure.

but if you are hesitant and its something you really want I say GO FOR IT.

 

 

then it was my sisters turn^

I don't know if its her youthful skin or the fact that I went first so hers was perfected but my sisters looks SO much better than mine! hahahah

its actually hilarious

however, its the meaning behind it that matters to me

so I cherish that little distorted ink!

Holly and Poppy, barn living <3

Babe hair extensions: the good, bad and ugly..

HI!

I'mmmmmmmm blogging!

 

 

If you have messaged me lately and gone without reply..
its because I suck at life.
everyone keeps telling me that so obvi its true...

another story..

one message I keep getting from the interwebz is people wondering how my hair extensions are going aHHHHH! ( I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM I LOVE THEM)

so I thought I would throw out a quick hair update.
its funny because I haven't lost my passion for blogging, I take blog photos on the daily but I just cant find the time to slap them together into a post.
so the photos and writings you are going to see now and going forward are going to be raw.
I mean, I feel like I've always blogged raw..
but these will be real raw..
think lots of bathroom selfies (I ain't croppin')
spelling, grammar, words... (whats that?? I don't know so don't even judge me)

I had the lob and LOVED it!
I really did!
it was cute and on point style wise
however I grew tired of the lob life
I wanted a long mane back and my hair stylist just happens to be the bomb dot com babe certified hair extensionist of the HRM..
she said I would love them and I do, I really do!

https://www.instagram.com/hairbyrachelfrench/
I don't really want to share her.. but she is so good... I can't be selfish..

 

I did MAJOR research aka watched a dozen youtube vids, read blogs, researched price, application, removal, maintenance.

 

I said lets do it!

last years chop 2015 ^

that's my own real hair in long version

 

Three + weeks ago ^

I was SO nervous

I really could not picture how extensions added to my current length would look natural

 

at my hair appointment prior to application we dropped my root a bit and matched the extensions to my current highlights (the extensions can be dyed darker but we wanted to try and match them as is, and not go through the work of dying before applying, luckily they had a large colour selection. if you wanted a pop of colour via extension, these extensions come in bold colours as well)

 

the shade selection we ordered, I used 7 bags ^

always think too many versus not enough

 

2 hours later and voila! ^

 

I was immediately pleased!

the colour was perfect and the hair blends better than I would've ever imagined!

Its been 3 weeks and I love my hair more everyday

that may sound crazy to non hair people

 I have always been a hair fanatic so this is like the ultimate hair move for me - adding hair, YES!

 

I have tested out different styles

 

braids - good but will be better once my own hair grows the tiniest bit, currently a lot of fly a ways

 

ponies - love the low pony! high pony love as well but there is more chance of extension exposure (I don't really mind this, I kind of love telling people they're extensions lol )

 

straight - works great with ponytails, baseball hats, again once my own hair grows a tiny bit more I will be rocking it often, its clearer line of real hair /extension when straight

 

waves/curls - my favorite style atm. It is so easy to wear, you can play around with half up dos, side braids etc.

 

See below for my daily pics

my biggest fear was the time commitment that comes with long hair, especially extensions..

but it turns out long hair works better for my current lifestyle because I wash it SO. MUCH. LESS.

 

The gym photo above (pink shirt) I haven't washed my hair in 4 days..

gross

maybe?

too bad

I still shower!

I use a shower cap and dry shampoo to refresh.

 

the extensions hold curl really well so when I wake up I can roll out of bed and run out to do my errands after a quick brush through.

anyone who has done short hair knows that rolled out of bed style is not always easy.

some days were fine but most days you have to wash and style shorter lengths, it doesn't take as long but I was doing it more often.

(and a pony tail wasn't really in the cards for my lob length so it was a nuisance for gym life.)

 

so far we've had one casualty.. ^

it happened last night

I knew I was losing one because I felt the sticky tape and I just knew it was over..

I lost it from the nape of my neck, I've been hitting the gym around 5 days a week and working up quite a sweat so the moisture must have loosened the tape.

water is the hair extension nemesis so you want to always dry your hair after showering etc. mainly at the root, I just got lazy.

they do have hair dryers at the gym so I need to kick my own butt before I have a reverse mullet..

 

PHEW.

I have so much more to say about extensions..

I'm going to have to stop and come back to it..

 

maintenance..

pricing..

what they feel like..

how removal/ reapplication goes..

 

I will leave you with my last lob photos..

its so bittersweet for me.

I want everything!

short and long!

I LOVE hair change!

 

Red lip, Classic.

My lips have bee SO dry.
actually my skin has been so dry!

is the gym doing this to me?
am I not drinking enough water?
hmm

anywhoo, I have been powering through lip masks and chap stick.
& I've finally been able to start wearing some brights again, it feels good!
I know a red lip is not for everyone but I really think it should be!
It took me a while but I am now 100% comfortable wearing it day or night.

Going out the other night I was debating on a purple lip (see Rebel) or a classic red (Ruby woo)

THEN,

I remembered earlier in the week I found an old favorite

MAC Lady Bug !!!

It's close to a perfect red!

Its sheer but SO buildable.

I paired it with the Smashbox always sharp liner in Crimson.

I lined my lips then pulled the liner colour down and did a light sweep over the entire lip to make sure my colour would last through drinks and a long night.

(which it did! faded, but no obvious "ewww where'd her lipstick go?!" moment)

So nice, I wore it twice!

^ Day time lunch date

^ Night out!

I would recommend Lady bug to one and all!

I still love Ruby woo, but because its a matte I find I can be a bit flaky after prolonged wear.

Plus the dry lips! Ughhh

moisturize me!

^ am I the only one who does this to check teeth vs lipstick?????? :)

Social media is stressing me out..

I struggle with anxiety.
I get super anxious over things
I have panic attacks.
I overthink.
I live my life and probably, maybe, conceal it.. do I?

but until you've seen me 10 minutes before a hair appointment you have not seen the real me..

and I LOVE hair appointments!
but the thought of someone waiting for me
me holding up their time and then having to sit there for 3 hours
making small talk and unable to leave if I suddenly absolutely freak out
its like the most painful event of my existence..

So that's why I have such a love/hate relationship with social media..
(let me try and connect these dots...)

I love social media
I don't think that needs explaining, you know all the obvious reasons..
family, friends, creepin, buzzfeed.

But,
there is this other side

that totally overwhelms me

I feel anxious just looking at that screen and that's a super mild media moment.

 

I get stressed out thinking about how I post too much and then I get panicky thinking about how I post too little.

 

The blog side wants more, which is a blessing and curse..

because all the blog groups I'm a part of have shared many tips and tricks for making your blog GREAT. sometimes I just don't have the energy to make my blog that great.

I just want to post photos unedited and non staged.

write the way I write

(which is like this..)

 

my phone is binging 24/7 with blog group notifications

and as much as I want to turn off notifications..

I do want my blog to be great and I love those ladies!

so the little red dot haunts me until I open it.

 

but lets not let blogging take all the anxious blame..

 

there's the other side, my personal social media accounts

where I share too many photos

it is an addiction to share photos of your baby and dog

I swear to you, it is.

 

 

So, who cares?

no one really.

that's why I had a radical though

 

What if I deactivated my facebook?

 

what would happen?

would I still feel anxious?

would I feel like I'm missing out?

would I even last 24 hours?

 

I spend so much time mindlessly scrolling and getting distracted by all the notifications

would I get more done in real life if I took a break?

 

not sure.

not positive I would even last an hour without it.

I have so many social media friends!

whom I love!

I'm not sure I can go without..

 

 

^ example

the CBB network did a book and mug swap and the lovely Renee from See The World in Pink sent me this parcel. She nailed it! I love her!

 

but speaking of books..

I have a major collection of unreads waiting to be read!

add to the above 

Mindy Kaling

Amy Poehler

and some crazy horror story books from the writer of Gone Girl

that I'm not sure I will be able to handle because I am such a wuss..

 

I have lulu lemon clothes to send back..(so expensive, I can't let that slide. hold me accountable!)

closets to clean out

work outs to do

cooking classes to attend

tv shows to binge (The Office, Kimmy Schmidt)

hair appointments to make (see full circle! ;))

 

 

 

^ plus more of this

 

 

Talk about useless notifications tho..

this post is probably the worst

so boring

but have you ever gone social media free?

did you feel free-er??

 

I'm not going to lie to you

I will remain on Instagram because that's the happy place of social media

and I'm going to snap chat because I have a dozen people who snapped me and I need to figure out how to snap back.

and I'm probably going to miss Buzzfeed like EXTREMELY bad.

Buzzfeed Ned and Buzzfeed Kelsey are the dream team.

 

I'll probably be back in two minutes because this is a horrible idea when I can just turn off notifications and be all cool but YOLO.

 

AND FOMO.

SO MUCH FOMO ALREADY.