GRWM: Dinner & Drinks w/ the Girls

Hey ya'll!!

Tonight I'm meeting up with some girlfriend's for dinner and drinks, so I wanted to do a quick "Get Ready With Me" to show you how I did my makeup. I'm going to show you everything I'm wearing on my face, links on where to get it, and how I applied it. Let's get started!

First, I started by applying the Make Up For Ever HD Primer all over my face, followed by the Nars Eyeshadow Primer on my eyes. Next, I applied the Make Up For Ever HD Foundation in the shade N128, with a Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki, and blended that all over my face. When I apply my foundation, I do not apply it to my eyes or under my eyes. Since I use concealer, and have dry under eyes, I try to avoid layering too many products to that area. For concealer I used the NYX HD Concealer in the shades CW04 Beige and CW02 Fair/Clair, blending it in with my fingers. To set my under eye concealer, I used the Laura Mercier Invisible Pressed Setting Powder with the Real Techniques Blush Brush.

Next up are brows and eyes. For my brows, I brush them out using the #127 brush by Sonia Kashuk. Then, with a Sephora PRO Flat Liner Brush, I apply Benefit's BrowZing in the shade Medium. To set them in place I used Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel in the shade Brunette. For shadow I used my new Makeup Geek shadows. I applied the shade Vanilla Bean as an all over base using an All Over Shadow brush from Sephora, followed by Purely Naked as my transition shade using a Rounded Crease brush from Sephora. Going back to that All Over Shadow brush, I applied the shade Latte all over the lid, avoiding the crease. Back to the Rounded Crease brush, I used the shade Hipster and applied it to my crease and the outer corners of my lid. To highlight my brow bone I used Shimma Shimma with the All Over Shadow brush. To line my upper lash line I used Maybelline's Eye Studio Gel Liner in Blackest Black, and the Angled Liner brush from Sephora. To line my lower lid, I used the #105 brush from Sonia Kashuk and applied the shade Hipster. I curled my lashes using a curler from Sally Hansen, followed by two coats of the Loreal Miss Manga Mascara.

Now on to the face. I used Benefit's Hoola, along with the brush that comes with it to contour. I contoured my cheeks, on my forehead just along the hair line, and on the sides of my nose. To bronze up my skin I used the Shadow & Light Bronze/Contour Perfector from Becca Cosmetics, and applied it to the hollows of my cheeks, my jawline, and my forehead using the Sephora Pro Flawless Light Powder Brush. For blush I combined two shades and used the #24 brush from Sonia Kashuk. I applied the Becca Cosmetics blush in Damsefly, and topped it off with a light coat of Peach Beach from Too Faced. To highlight I used the Becca Cosmetics highlighter in Opal with the #113 brush from Sonia Kashuk. I applied it to the tops of my cheekbones, down the center of my nose, above my brows, and on my cupid's bow. To finish up, and set everything in place, I sprayed Urban Decay's All Nighter Setting Spray all over my face. I opted for an all natural lip and only applied Nivea's Kiss of Milk & Honey.

I hope you enjoyed today's GRWM! Let me know what you're go-to products are for a night with the girls in the comments below.


xoxo,
Casey

Battle of the Lip Tints! Dior Addict Lip Glow vs. Tarte Energy LipSurgence

Hey ya'll!!

I love lip tints. I think they are the perfect lip product to keep in your purse for on the go. It's goof-proof, easy to wear, and looks great on everyone. I feel like lip tints don't get as much love as they should. These two are both balms that work with your body temperature to give you your own perfect shade of pink. They both aim to do the same thing, but they are different and each give a different shade of pink. Also, the shade of pink it gives you, may be a different shade on someone else.

First up we have the Tarte LipSurgence in the shade Energy. The packaging is the same as the other LipSurgence products. It's a "crayon" styled balm and rolls up as you twist it from the bottom. It is limited edition, but it's been out for a quite some time now. It's still available for purchase at Ulta and Sephora. You get .1 oz of product and it retails for $24. I do not like the "point" and am really thinking about just cutting it off so it's just a flat surface. It's a pain to apply with the pointed end, I always feel like it's going to break on me. I much prefer a flat surface on my lip products, which is probably why I don't own many lip crayons. This product is moisturizing, and has a minty-tingly feeling when applied to the lips. The shade I get from this is more of a berry shade than a natural pink shade. It has lasting power, too. Even after the balm and moisture wears of, my lips are still tinted.

Next up is the Dior Addict Lip Glow. The packaging is standard lipstick packaging, and is packaged the same as the other Dior Addict Lipsticks. This lip tint is a true balm and is really easy to apply. It's a permanent product and you can find it at Sephora or your local Dior counter. You get .12 oz of product and it retails for $32. It's very moisturizing and hydrating, with a minty smell and slight tingle. The tingle isn't strong at all. The color it gives is a very natural , healthy pink. It's perfect for every day.

After comparing price, packaging, formula, and shades, both of these products are very similar. The winner for me though, is the Dior Addict Lip Glow. I absolutely adore it! It gives my lips the perfect, natural shade of pink and I don't have to wear any lip balm with this because it acts as both. They both have a similar color, there's really not a huge difference. I bought the Tarte because I wanted to see if it would be a good dupe for the Lip Glow. The LipSurgence is nice,  and it gives good color, but I personally prefer the color and formula of the Lip Glow. As you can see, my Lip Glow is much loved and is almost completely gone. I have never finished any lipstick or lip balm before, so the fact that the Dior Addict Lip Glow is almost completely gone, really says something!

Let me know in the comments below if there are any other mashup's you'd like to see from me next!


xoxo,
Casey

Mommy Minute: Kason's 7 Month Update

Hey ya'll!!

Today my baby is seven months old! I'm gonna go over what a normal day is like for him, what he enjoys, and how his temperament has been this last month.

I have seen a huge change in him this last month. He had been really fussy for a while, and I was convinced it was teething because he was drooling up a storm and chewing on everything. At his six month check up the doctor told me to go ahead and introduce more solids into his diet. Oh my gosh what a difference that has made! He literally has turned into a completely different baby. I felt kind of bad, that this whole time I thought he was crying because he was teething, but really all he needed was more solids to keep him full. He was already getting 30 oz of formula a day, so I wasn't able to give him any more than that, and he was getting two to three solid servings to accompany the formula. He now has six solid servings a day, and is taking in less formula, about 20-22 oz a day. I have moved him to Level 2 solids and he's been loving it. Two of those six servings were oatmeal, but I was getting the feeling that the oatmeal was starting to be too heavy for him so I changed that about a week and a half ago to either a veggie or a fruit, and it's worked out great.

Another change this month is his reflux. He has finally grown out of it and has been completely off his medicine for about three weeks now! I am so happy that he is finally over that. If any of you have had a baby with reflux, or have a baby with it, then I know you understand what it's like. The reflux would flare up sometimes and really bother him. I'm talking crying all day kind of bother, wanna pull your hair out kind of bother. Some days were better than others, and some days were just awful. I felt so bad about him having to take the medicine too, because it did not taste good at all. Plus, I didn't really like the fact that my baby had to take all that medicine in the first place. I had started weening him of the medicine before his six month checkup, because I could tell that it had been getting better. After getting the okay from his doctor, I stopped giving it to him completely after a week and had no issues what-so-ever.

Kason loves the water! He's been a big fan of bath time lately. Since he sits up good now, I've been bathing him in the kitchen sink. I fill the bubble bath up to his belly button, put his rubber ducks in there with him, and he has a blast. He grabs at the ducks, flips them over, and splashes the whole time. He also really loves being in the pool. I have a float that he sits in and his legs go through. He will kick his legs and swim himself all over the pool. It's seriously the cutest thing ever! Even when he's being held he kicks his legs, it's really cool to watch him. I like that he loves the water and isn't scared. I'm hoping that doesn't change as he gets older.

He still loves watching TV in his bouncer, and sitting in his Big Boy Chair (a red bean bag). He's been a lot more independent lately and wanting to just sit up on his own on the floor. As far as tummy time goes, he still could do without it. For some reason, he has zero interest in being on his tummy. He can hold himself up fine, sits up good, and can pretty much stand up with little support. But when it comes to rolling over, and scooting around on his belly, forget about it. I keep joking that he may walk before he ever crawls because he could care less about being on his belly!

A few toys he's really been loving lately are these silicone and plastic keys, and his Scentsy Lion. The keys have a yellow plastic ring with two big plastic and silicone keys on it. He loves to chew on them and wave them around. His Scentsy Lion smells so good! He's been grabbing for him a lot lately at bed time, and has been holding him while he sits in his red chair. The lion has been his TV buddy lately. He's also still obsessed with Socks the Fox his BlaBla Doll, and still won't sleep without his Bedtime Buddies (stuffed animals he sleeps with). I don't mind though, I think it's so funny and just the cutest how much he likes his stuffed animals. I'm sure doctors and some mom's out there would freak out about the fact that I let him sleep with his toys, but he's been doing it since he started sleeping in his own bed and I have no intentions of taking them away now. Even when he stays overnight with my mom or Kevin's mom, I pack his Bedtime Buddies. Socks the Fox goes everywhere with us, but if we are going somewhere overnight, the whole Bedtime Buddies crew comes too.

I think he has been going through a major growth spurt this past month because he has been sleeping a ton. He has always been a good sleeper, and was sleeping through the night at two months old. I've been putting him to bed at 8:00pm every night, and he will sleep until 8:00am the next morning, and sometimes even later. He also takes about three naps during the day. He takes a morning nap about 10:00 or 10:30 and will sleep anywhere from an hour and a half to two and a half hours. He's ready for his afternoon nap around 2:00 or 2:30 everyday. He will sleep about two to three hours and will be ready to get up again. Sometimes he will even want to take an evening nap, if so its usually for about 45 minutes to an hour around 6:00pm. His naps are all him too, I don't just automatically put him down, he lets me know when he's tired. Ever since we upped his solids he hardly fusses, and only does when he's tired or is bored. He starts to fuss like clockwork around the same time everyday, and as soon as I lay him in bed, he rolls over and grabs for one of his Buddies and is asleep in five minutes.

I hope you enjoyed this check up! I will give another update on Kason and his routine next month. Also, I'm needing to get him a bigger carseat. Let me know in the comments below if you have any recommendations on brands or styles, and what kind you have for your little one.


xoxo,
Casey

Beauty and the Books: Half Bad by Sally Green

Hey ya'll!!

Another week, another book read. Like the new name change?! I decided to go ahead and change the name of my book related posts from "Book Work Series" to the new and improved "Beauty and the Books". I think it's a better fit, what about you? Today's Beauty and the Books is a review on Half Bad by Sally Green. I have been really excited to read this book and had high hopes for it. I enjoyed reading it, but it ended up being different than what I thought it would be. Find out more about the synopsis in my TBR here.

Half Bad is the first book in a new  trilogy, Book Two comes out at the end of 2015. It's about a boy named Nathan, who is half White Witch and half Black Witch. White Witches are good, Black Witches are bad. Nathan's mother was a White Witch, and had a husband and a family of her own. Nathan's father, Marcus, is the most evil of all Black Witches. He killed Nathan's mother's husband, and left her to raise Nathan and the rest of her children on her own. Nathan's mother couldn't deal with it all, so she committed suicide when Nathan was just a baby. Nathan and his siblings were then raised by their Gran. He has never met his father but knows of him. Nathan has to go into town to meet with the Council every year on his birthday. Starting as a young child, he is submitted to tons of questioning about himself and his father, a man he has never met.

I was surprised at how much the book dealt with discrimination, even though it didn't outright say anything about it. I don't know if that was Green's intention in writing it, but that's how it came off to me. You really feel for Nathan as he grows up with everyone hating and judging him, and assuming he's bad news just because of who his father is. No one will be his friend, his teacher's don't take the time to educate him like they do the other students, his oldest sister is very hateful towards him, and even the Council members discriminate against Nathan. The Council sends many notifications to Nathan's house, always changing and giving new rules and regulations pertaining to Half Codes (anyone who is a mixed witch), making his and his Gran's life that much more stressful and miserable. He does have people on his side though. His Gran, his brother Arran, and his sister Deborah treat him well, along with his schoolmate Annalise.

Annalise comes from a Pure White family, all who play major roles in the Council. She and Nathan form a friendship that quickly turns into something more. When her brother's find out about this, they confront Nathan and begin torturing him, hurting him terribly. His family is really upset by this, but know there's nothing they can do about it because Annalise's family is such a huge part of the Council. Soon, Nathan and his Gran are notified by the Council that he is to come in for more questioning. When he arrives and goes through his normal questioning, he is taken into custody, is given a new guardian, and is whisked away immediately, all while his poor Gran watches the whole thing.

Nathan's guardian is a tough, military type woman. She has him on a strict schedule and he is kept chained in a cage at night to sleep. Even though she hits him, and works him to the bone, they grow a sort of fondness towards each other. Just when they grow this newfound fondness, Nathan is taken away again. This time he is taken into the custody of the Council, where Annalise's brother is now working.

While in custody, Nathan ends up escaping. When he was still living with his Gran, he met with this old woman named Mary. Mary told him of people who could help him receive his Three Gifts. Every witch must receive Three Gifts on their Seventeenth Birthday in order to become a witch and find out their power. Nathan already knows that the first person he is supposed to find, lives in the area where the Council building is. Nathan begins his traveling adventures, making stop after stop, and meeting different people who are all steps to finding Mercury, the witch who hopefully will help him with his Three Gifts. I don't want to spoil the entire story, especially since this is the first book in a trilogy, so I'm going to stop the spoilers here.

Nathan is tested in many different ways in his short life, and even though the whole world seemed to be against him, he didn't let that stop him from achieving his goal in getting his Three Gifts. I think this is a great book about facing diversity, and being strong even when you don't have anyone cheering you on. It's a great book for kids in school to read as well. It does a great job of showing how we shouldn't discriminate against others for who their parents are, or where they come from. That everyone is their own person, and despite where they originate from, it doesn't always mean they are going to turn out that same way. We shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. Sometimes the best people are the ones who have all odds against them, sometimes that person just needs someone to give them a chance.

If you enjoy fantasy and paranormal books, I recommend giving this one a try. I enjoyed it even though it was different than what I expected. There wasn't as much magic in it as I thought there would be. If there's anything negative for me to say, it would be that I wished the book would have been  more "magical". I'm really excited for Book Two.  Half Bad ended on a cliff hanger, so I think there will be a lot more magic and action in the second book!

I'm close to being done with my TBR List, and will be on the hunt for more reads pretty soon. Let me know what books you recommend, or what books you'd like to see reviews on in the comments below!


xoxo,
Casey

Makeup Geek Eyeshadows

Hey ya'll!!

I'm really excited about today's post because it's all about my new Makeup Geek Eyeshadows. I've heard of Makeup Geek for forever now, just have never tried them myself. That's probably because they're all sold online and not in stores like Sephora or Ulta. I love to online shop, but I'm wary of purchasing new makeup online without being able to see it in person and swatching it first. I've been wanting a new eyeshadow palette lately, not sure why because I have plenty, but my makeup addiction is very real and it's always hungry. I almost got the Lorac Pro 2 but I stopped myself. I'm a self proclaimed Queen of Warm Neutrals and I knew deep down that if I went with the Lorac Pro 2, that it would be sad and lonely because I wouldn't get much use out of it due to it's cool toned vibe. There were no other palettes on the market that really peaked my interest, so I decided to build my own Z Palette with Makeup Geek. And let me tell you, I could not be more happy and pleased with the shadows I chose.

Makeup Geek shadows are very similar to MAC shadows. I have only a few MAC shadows, crazy I know. And from what I've heard, many people prefer Makeup Geek shadows to MAC shadows because the formulas and pigmentation are very similar, and the Makeup Geek pan shadows are half the price of MAC. Makeup Geek pan shadows sell for $5.99 each, and MAC pan shadows sell for $10.00.  Everyone has always been MAC crazy, but I never really jumped on the bandwagon. A lot of the girls I watch on YouTube use Makeup Geek shadows regularly. Jaclyn Hill recently did a video on her favorite Makeup Geek shadows that I will link here. When I was doing my research, watching videos, and looking at swatches, I saw that Makeup Geek has a lot of dupes for MAC shadows and many other high end shadows, and the pigmentation is crazy town! I couldn't believe how buttery and pigmented they all looked. What I really liked about the Makeup Geek website, was that they have pictures of every eyeshadow, every swatch, if there's a dupe it's swatched and pictured, and comparison swatches to their other shadows that are lighter and darker. This made picking my desired shades, and my online shopping experience, so much easier.

I chose the small, black Z Palette and built my "perfect" palette from there. I chose nine shadows because that's how many the Z Palette fits. I went with a mix of matte and shimmery shades that I thought would look the best on me and my skin tone. The shades I chose were 1. Shimma Shimma, 2. Vanilla Bean, 3. Beaches and Cream, 4. Purely Naked, 5. Hipster, 6. Latte, 7. Moonstone, 8. Pretentious, and 9. Mocha.

Shimma Shimma, Vanilla Bean, Beaches and Cream

These are the three lightest shades I chose. Shimma Shimma is a gorgeous, extremely pigmented, shimmery champagne color that is the perfect brow bone and inner corner highlight shade. It reminds me of Kitten by Stila. I chose Vanilla Bean because I like to have a light creme/beige shade as an all over base. It's not completely matte, it has a very light shimmer, and it's not heavily pigmented so I think it will be a great base. Beaches and cream is a matte, peachy nude shade and looks like it will be a great transition shade.

Purely Naked, Hipster, Latte

These are the three medium shades I chose. Purely Naked is an amazingly pretty, warm nude shade. When I think of the perfect tan shade, this is it. It's got a soft shimmer to it, and will work great in the crease and the lid, very versatile. Hipster is a taupey, light brown color with a slight shimmer. I think this is going to be a beautiful lid shade. Latte is a must have, medium brown. It's matte, creamy, and will look perfect in the crease.

Moonstone, Pretentious, Mocha

These are the three darkest shades that I chose. Moonstone is so pigmented! It's a shimmery, gray/taupe shade. It's cool toned, which I normal don't go for. But, I don't have any colors like this in my collection and it was just too gorgeous to pass up. Pretentious is a gorgeous shimmery, bronze brown shade that's perfect for a summer smokey eye. Like Moonstone, this shade is very pigmented. Mocha is another must have shade. It's a deep, matte brown shade that's perfect for the outer corner's to smoke out any eye look. 

I could not be more pleased with this palette. I really tried to build my perfect palette, and I think I may have achieved just that. All the shades are buttery, creamy, soft, and pigmented. The shades with the most pigmentation are Shimma Shimma, Moonstone, and Pretentious. I really do love every single one of these shades and will be able to create so many different looks with this palette. 

I hope you enjoyed today's post. Let me know in the comments below if you have any Makeup Geek Shadows and what your favorite shades are!

xoxo,

Casey

Married with Children: Making Your Marriage a Priority

Hey ya'll!!

Often times with our busy schedules as moms, we forget to not only make time for ourselves, but for our husbands as well. I am a firm believer that in a family, the marriage and relationship between the two parents should be the number one priority. This rubs some people the wrong way. I'm not trying to be controversial and say my way is best, this is just what I believe and how I live my life. I am not in any way saying that my kids are not important to me. Both my husband and I will do anything and everything to make sure our kids have the best possible lives, and that they are loved infinitely. They are loved with everything I have, and I will do anything to make sure they are happy and healthy. But one day, my kids are going to grow up and have a life of their own, and all that's going to be left at home are my husband and I. I think it's important to keep your relationship with your husband alive and well. Not only will the two of you benefit from it, but your children will as well. Even if you're tired from a long day at work, a long day with the kids, cooking, cleaning, etc., it's so important to tough it out and spend time with your significant other. Whether it's having a chat on the couch, watching tv together, or staying up an extra thirty minutes to cuddle before bed. Any time, no matter how big or small, counts and does make a difference. You got married for a reason, and that reason is because you love each other. There's no reason to stop working on that love, and showing love, once you've put a ring on it and walked down that aisle. This is my advice on how to make your marriage a priority, and keeping it strong and sexy!

1. Go on Dates
Get a babysitter, and go spend some alone time together. Whether that's going to dinner and a movie, grabbing drinks with friends, or grabbing drinks just the two of you, having kid-free adult time is so important for your relationship. Going out alone together will help fuel your relationship and bring you closer together. It will remind you of why you fell in love in the first place, and will recharge that love you have for one another, making it even stronger. It's important for you to get away every now and then, even if it's for your own sanity. I know after a full week of hearing "The Hot Dog Song" and watching Doc McStuffin's patch up her animals, I'm ready to feel like an adult again and I want to do that with my man. Grabbing dinner and drinks, just the two of us, helps recharge my batteries and makes me happy. Not only is going on dates as a couple important, but even going on dates with your girls, or by yourself, is healthy for your relationship. It's ok to miss your significant other. Missing each other, even for a few hours, is going to make it more exciting and special when you're reunited. I know a lot of Mom's don't want to leave their kids because they feel guilty. I'm here to tell you that your child will survive a few hours, or even one night without you. You are not a bad parent for leaving your child with a grandparent or a babysitter. If anything, your child is going to benefit from being away from you. It's important for children to be around other family member's and friend's, besides Mom and Dad. They need to work on relationships of their own, and by spending time with other people they are able to learn and grow as their own person. You're not always going to be able to be with your kids, they need to learn to function without you, it's healthy for them and for you.

2. Show Love and Affection
A hug and a kiss can make all the difference in your everyday relationship. Try to give a hug and a kiss on every "hello" and "goodbye". Small signs of love and affection are important because it shows  that you love each other and that you care. Hold hands when you're out and tell each other "I love you". Don't be afraid to let your kids see this side of you either. I don't mean have a full on make out sesh in front of the little ones, but I think it's important for them to see their parents hug, kiss, and hold hands. They learn almost everything they know from their parents, and their idea of what a marriage is, is going to be modeled after yours because that's all they know. Be sure to show your kids love and affection too. Give them lots of hugs and kisses, and tell them you love them every day. I want my kids to have healthy relationships. I want them to know their worth, to value themselves, and to know the difference between the right and wrong kinds of love. I want them to learn to respect their future partners, and I want them to know that they deserve respect themselves. I know my relationship and my marriage isn't perfect, but I want to do everything I can to show my kids what a good marriage is, and what a healthy relationship looks like. I know I can't control what they do, or who they end up with, but I want them to know what's right and what's wrong when it comes to love, and I don't want them to look for love in the wrong places.

3. Words of Affirmation
Focus on the positive's in your relationship. I know that our husbands can drive us crazy sometimes, but just know that we drive them equally as crazy. Arguments are going to happen, just hash it out, move on, and don't hold a grudge. Talking about the positive things in your relationship, instead of just the negative, is going to set the tone for marriage. Give each other compliments. If your husband picks up the living room, or puts his cup in the dishwasher instead of in the sink, say thank you and tell him how much you appreciated the gesture. I promise, by telling him that you appreciate the small things he does, he will most likely do it more, and even start doing more for you. No one wants to do something nice for someone who is unappreciative. I know I don't always do this, but I want to. I know with Kevin, words of affirmation are really important to him. He does so much for our family and is our sole provider. Without him, we wouldn't have anything. I know I don't tell him as often as I should, but I am grateful and I love him so much for everything he does for me and our family. I know that when he hears those things, it makes him feel good about himself and about everything he's doing for us. So ladies, quit your bitching and nit-picking. I know everything isn't always sunshine and rainbows, but think of the positive in your relationship, the good things your husband does for you, and let him know you do notice and that you love him for it.

4. Communication
As I'm sure you've all heard before, communication is key. Being able to talk and communicate with your partner is going to make married life so much easier. Not only are you going to bypass some fights and arguments, but you're going to build trust and that my friends is one of the most important things to have in a relationship. Having good communication with one another is going to help to keep you on the same page. It's not going to keep arguments and fights from happening, but it is going to make them easier to deal with. If you are able to communicate exactly what you're feeling, and why you're feeling it, you just might be able to resolve your issues more quickly, and avoid some from happening. Not only does communication help in the argument department, but it's crucial when it comes parenting. I know that you're not always going to 100% agree on what to do with your kids, but you should still be on the same page or close to it. This should be a conversation that you have before you're even married. Kids aren't stupid, and they notice and pick up on things at an early age. If Mom and Dad can't agree on the small things, or are constantly arguing over what answer to give their children, the kids are going to play you against each other, and that's not a game you want to play. It puts a divide between the adults, causing arguments, and your kids end up losing respect for you. When something happens with our kids, Kevin and I always discuss it together. I will call and tell him about the situation, and we come to an agreement on what to do about it. There's some situations that need to be addressed immediately, and since I'm a stay at home mom, I have to make an executive decision on what to do. I still always call him and let him know what happened and how it was handled. If you and your husband make parenting decisions together, your kids are going to see that you're a team, that they can't play you against each other, and they're going to have equal respect for the both of you. If you can communicate as parents, you will bypass many parental arguments. It's definitely not going to stop all arguments and disagreements from happening, but at least you can skip a lot of little ones.

5. Have Sex
I'm serious, get it on and get it on often, even if you don't want to. Don't keep making excuses about why you don't want to, or why you can't. One of the main differences between you and your hubby being just friends and being married, is sex. No, sex is not the most important thing in a relationship, but it is important, and should be made a priority. Being intimate with your significant other feeds your relationship and will bring both of you closer together. If you're not having sex, you're relationship is going to do sort of a domino effect, because it slowly starts to effect everything. You're both going to be irritable, you're going to argue more, and you're going to get in a rut that's going to be hard to get out of. Not only does having sex regularly make your relationship better, but you will feel better as a woman. Sex makes you feel more confident about yourself, you will be happier, and it just makes you feel sexy. Nothing is better in a relationship then knowing your man wants you, and nothing is better for your man than knowing you want him too.

I'm not a relationship expert. All my opinions, thoughts, and feelings are from my own experiences. It's ok to not agree with me, or to do things differently. Everyone is different and every relationship is different. What works for me, might not work for someone else and that's ok. This is how my relationship works, and what works best for me and my family. I hope you enjoyed today's post! I've been wanting to talk about being "Married with Children" for a while, and am thinking of making it a regular series here on my blog. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!


xoxo,
Casey

Review: NYX HD Concealer

Hey ya'll!!

Today I'm reviewing the highly talked about and loved, NYX HD Concealer. I've wanted to get my hands on this bad boy for a while now, but every time I've gone to Ulta they were out of almost every shade. I recently went, and they had restocked all of them so I went ahead and grabbed two colors. I like to get two colors in concealers and foundations, one dark and one light. Since I tan, my skin color is always changing. If I have light and dark shades, I can mix them together or wear them separately depending on where I'm at the tanning and fading spectrum. I picked up the shades CW02 Fair/Clair and CW04 Beige.

First thing I noticed was that I really liked the packaging. It's very sleek and reminds me a lot of the Make Up For Ever HD Foundation packaging. It has a doe-foot applicator, which I'm a fan of. It makes applying it easy and less messy.

I have a hard time wearing concealers because I have really dry under eyes, smile lines, and I crease really easily. I do find that this concealer can be a little drying on my eyes, but as long as I moisturize well before applying it, it's fine. It's also pretty thick and dries fairly quickly, so make sure you blend it well. I typically like to blend out concealers with a brush, but my fingers work best with this. If I use a brush, it ends up looking really dry and cakey. My fingers blend it out beautifully with no creases, no cakiness, and my under eyes actually look hydrated which is music to my ears. It's very creamy and opaque, so if you have problems with dark circles you would really like this.

This concealer is true to it's "HD" name. It is long-wearing, and looks great in pictures. Not only is it really opaque and works great at covering under eye circles, but it also really brightens the under eye area, so it works great for highlighting as well.

The NYX HD Concealer might be my new favorite drugstore concealer! It's a high quality product, for a drug store price. I definitely recommend this concealer if you're in the market for a new one. Just remember to moisturize before hand, and blend it well. I hope you enjoyed this review. Let me know in the comments below what your must-have concealers are, both high-end and drugstore!


xoxo,
Casey

Review: Loreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara

Hey ya'll!!

Today I'm going to be talking about Loreal's Voluminous Butterfly Mascara. This product is fairly new. I've seen a few bloggers talk about it, and I'm always wanting to try new ones so I figured I would give this one a try.

The applicator has plastic bristles and has a slight curve, and slope, to it. The slope makes it easy to get right at the base of the lashes. This applicator is a bit too big for my eye shape but it is not a deal breaker for me. It did get a little messy on my lids, but that happens with some mascaras. The formula is a little on the wet side. I prefer a dryer mascara, but this one wasn't as wet as some formulas I've tried. I did notice that this mascara takes a little longer to dry on the lashes once it is applied. Once it's dry it holds a curl nicely, and doesn't smear or smudge.

BEFORE

AFTER TWO COATS

What I like about this mascara is that it does a good job of lengthening and adding volume, without looking clumpy or spidery. What I don't like about this mascara is the wet formula and that it takes a while to dry. All in all, this isn't the greatest mascara I've tried, but it's not the worst. It's just "so-so". If you have large eyes, or if you prefer a wetter formula, I think you would like it. If you have smaller eyes, or prefer a dryer formula, you probably wouldn't love this one.

I hope you enjoyed today's review of the Loreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara. Let me know in the comments below what your favorite mascara is! I love trying new ones and am always looking for the next best thing.

xoxo,

Casey

Book Worm Series: Love Letters To The Dead by Ava Dellaira

Hey ya'll!!

In today's Book Worm Series I'm reviewing the debut novel by Ava Dellaira, Love Letters To The Dead. I have been anxious to read this for a while now because I've heard great things about. This review is going to be short and sweet, mainly because I didn't finish it..... Here's why.

I did not like this book..... at all. I'm so disappointed! I was really looking forward to it. I really tried to like it, I wanted to like it so bad, it just didn't happen. It was very slow, pulling teeth slow. I had looked at different reviews periodically while reading and so many reviewers said things like "It starts out slow, just give it a chance!", "It's like there's two halves to the book, the first half is slow and the second part you can't put it down!", "Once you get past the first half, you'll love it!". Well guess what, I got well into the so called "second half" and I still wasn't feeling it. I wanted to stop reading it well before the "second half" but I decided to listen to the other reviewers and stick it out. I really hate to not finish books. It literally is hard for me to not finish them and I actually feel guilty when I don't. Thankfully it rarely happens that I don't finish one. But if I'm not enjoying myself, then why should I continue wasting my time reading something that I'm not interested in?

I can see why people have liked it and raved about it. The book is not terrible, it really does mean well, it just wasn't doing it for me. I didn't relate to any of the characters, any of the "letter recipients", or to any of the situations the characters were going through. I think the main reason is because Laurel seems so young. She doesn't have any sort of personality, she's very mopey, and just annoying. If I can't relate to a character, if a character is not interesting to me, or if the character fails to have any sort of personality then I simply won't enjoy the book.

Love Letters To The Dead is about a girl named Laurel. She recently started going to a new high school after her sister May died, and her mom left town. She goes back and forth after a week long stay between her Dad's house, and her Aunt Amy's house (her mom's sister). At this new school Laurel meets new friends and tries to move on with her life. She is given an assignment on her first day of school, to write a letter to a dead person. Since her sister recently passed away, she couldn't bring herself to turn in her assignment. Her teacher was understanding, giving her two extensions, but she still didn't turn in the assignment (she may have ended up turning one in towards the end, but I didn't get that far). In her letters she tells stories about her past, and talks about the present with her new life and new friends. Mostly her letters are about missing her sister, and how her sister used to be, but she would never talk about how she died. The so called "second half" that many reviewers referred to was when Laurel reveals how May died. When I got to that part in the book I thought to myself "Ok, I've made it. This is going to get good now". Wrong, I was so wrong. I stuck it out for a few more letters, but it still never ended up interesting me, so I just gave up.

I wish I was walking away from this review telling you to go out and pick this up, but I can't bring myself to do it. I feel like such a Debbie Downer right now for writing a negative review, but it happens sometimes! Let me know in the comments below if you've read this book and what you thought about it!


xoxo,
Casey

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette: Three Different Looks

Hey ya'll!!

Today I wanted to show you three different looks using the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette. I absolutely love this palette because it's so universal, and the amount of looks you can create from it are endless. The shadows are really smooth, the blend nicely, and are very pigmented. Oh yeah, and in case you didn't know, the entire palette smells like a giant candy bar.

I'm just concentrating on the eyeshadow combo's today. To get the best color payoff, and wear time, be sure to apply an eyeshadow primer before applying your eyeshadow. The primer helps to lock your shadow in place and gives you the most bang for your buck when it comes to pigmentation. If you want to know specifics about liner, mascara, or brows then please leave a comment below and I will get back to you!

Look #1
The first look I have for you is perfect for summer, and really easy to achieve. I find myself wearing this eyeshadow combination a lot, especially when I'm tan. This golden/bronzed/shimmery look is perfect for daytime, and will look great on everyone. I started by applying White Chocolate as an all over base. For the lid color I used Creme Brulee and applied it first in a patting motion, then blended it using a sweeping motion. I then took Milk Chocolate and applied it all over the crease as my transition shade. After applying Milk Chocolate, I took the color Semi Sweet and applied it in the same area, but concentrated the color just in the crease and not go too far towards the brown bone. The last shade I used was Hazelnut. I applied it to the outer corners of the lid and the crease, then blended it in with Semi Sweet. For the bottom lash line, I combined Milk Chocolate and Semi Sweet and lined the entire line. I then took a small amount of Hazelnut and only applied it on the outer half of the lash line. I did not do a brown bone highlight with this look. I find that when I use shimmery shadows on my lid and crease, I tend to leave the brow bone matte.

Shades Used
All Over Base: White Chocolate
Lid: Creme Brulee
Transition Shade: Milk Chocolate
Crease: Semi Sweet
Outer Lid & Crease: Hazelnut
Lower Lash Line: Milk Chocolate & Semi Sweet Mixed, Hazelnut on the outer corner

Look #2:
I was very pleased with how this turned out. Normally I like to use brown and bronze shades, but I decide to go for something a little different by opting for berry and wine tones to achieve this look. I started by first applying White Chocolate as an all over base. I then took my transition color, Milk Chocolate, and applied it all throughout the crease. For the lid, I used the shade Marzipan. Marzipan is a really pretty champagne color and it's one of my favorite lid shades. After applying that, I took the color Amaretto and placed it right into the crease. Make sure to not take this color too high, you want it to fade into that transition shade. To darken the whole look, I applied the shade Cherry Cordial on the outer corner of the lid and in the outer crease. I then dusted my brush in Milk Chocolate, and blended out Cherry Cordial so that all the colors would blend nicely together. I highlighted my inner corners and my brow bone with the shade Champagne Truffle. I didn't want to do a dark liner on my lower lash line, but I didn't want to leave it bare either. I decided to line with Milk Chocolate to add just a hint of color. This is a nice, satin makeup look that will look great on a night out.

Shades Used
All Over Base: White Chocolate
Lid: Marzipan
Transition Shade: Milk Chocolate
Crease: Amaretto
Outer Lid & Crease: Cherry Cordial
Inner Corner & Brow Bone: Champagne Truffle
Lower Lash Line: Milk Chocolate

Look #3
This is one of my favorite smokey eyes to wear for both day and night. I love deep, dark, warm brown shades. Like the other two looks, I started out with White Chocolate as my all over base. I like applying an all over base color before any other shadows because it really helps me to blend the other colors much easier. For the transition shade, I used Milk Chocolate. Again, this is another color that I use in every look I do. It's the perfect light brown color, and looks good with every eye look. I applied Hazelnut all over the lid, making sure to not get the color into the crease. Next, I applied the color Semi Sweet directly into the crease. I blended this out quite a bit, going slightly above and below the crease. To smoke this look out, I used the darkest shade in the palette, Triple Fudge. Triple Fudge is a really rich, dark matte brown. I started out by lightly dusting my brush into the color, and placed it right on the outer corner of my lid and the outer part of my crease. I did this about three times before it was the color I wanted. Since this shade is so dark, it's best to apply small amounts at a time. If you start with too heavy of a hand, its going to be really hard to blend out. For my lower lash line I first applied Milk Chocolate. On the outer half I lined with Triple Fudge, and on the inner half with Hazelnut. For my inner corner highlight, and my brow bone, I used the color Champagne Truffle.

Shades Used
All Over Base: White Chocolate
Lid: Hazelnut
Transition Shade: Milk Chocolate
Crease: Semi Sweet
Outer Lid & Crease: Triple Fudge
Inner Corner & Brow Bone: Champagne Truffle
Lower Lash Line: Milk Chocolate, Hazelnut, & Triple Fudge

I hope you liked all these three looks I created using the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette. Let me know what your favorite shades are in the comments below!


xoxo,
Casey