Gratitude

I've decided that everyday, I am going to write out a list of five things that I am grateful for.

Here is what I am grateful for at this very moment today...

1. My lungs...I love being able to take in deep breaths and let it all out!
2. My crazy little chihuahua Macho...hes a lot of fun in the morning! That guy is crazy!!
3. My mom...yes, I said it. Shes a pain in the neck, but shes pretty cool to have around sometimes ;)
4. The comfy couch in the living room.
5. Silence :)


What are you guys grateful for today?

My Beauty Closet

There was a point in time when I had an incredibly HUGE overabundance of beauty products. Being that I am a hair stylist, makeup artist, and certified product junkie, I found that I was collecting all sorts of products. I receive free and discounted products on a constant basis from my full time job and my health and wellness business with Arbonne International. So, I finally found that it was time to clear out the clutter and get organized.

My beauty closet is in my bathroom. Its a rather large closet that used to have towels and all of my beauty items stuffed onto all of the shelves. Now, I have all of my products in an orderly way that actually even helps me get ready for work in the morning a little faster. See for yourself...

Shelf 1 (the top shelf) is my "Jewelry Shelf". Since jewelry is usually one of the last things that I put on before heading out the door, I thought it would be a good idea to keep it here. I was also finding that when I came home from work, I would take my jewelry off and leave it on the bathroom sink. So since it was finding its way into the bathroom, I figured it should stay there. I keep my bracelets, necklaces, and rings all separate.

Shelf 2 is what I like to call my "Treatment Shelf". I keep my waxing machine and accessories here because I wax my own eyebrows and my mother's at home. I also keep my paraffin wax machine here. I actually got that for Christmas a while back and have only used it once. But I thought that maybe if it were right in front of me, I would be more inclined to use it. In the right corner, I keep my facial steamer for when I want to give myself a more in-depth at home facial. And lastly, I keep small things that may be needed in a pinch in a cup...items such as a nail file, nail clippers, eyebrow brush, tweezers, etc.

Shelf 3 is my "Body Shelf". From left to right, I keep my makeup brushes in their rolls, body lotions and oils, facial skin care, and parfumes and fragrances. If you look closely at the picture, you will see just how much Arbonne skin and body care I actually use!!

Shelf 4 is my "Hair Shelf. To the right, I keep all of my "random" hair items...hair gels, hair sprays, shampoos, conditioners, spray bottle. These are all items that I may or may not use on a regular basis, but I just want quick access to. In the middle, I have a small basket with hair accessories like pins, elastics, head bands, and other hair jewelry. I also have a box of roller clips that I use to weigh some of my curls down, hold rollers in my hair or to hold my hair in a doobie wrap, and I also have my diffuser. Finally, in the white basket to the side, I keep all of my "salon products"...you know, the good stuff. Stuff I may not use everyday but is absolutely worth keeping. One item, for example is the blue jar that you may see...that is my MoroccanOil Intense Hydrating Mask.

Lastly, at the bottom of the closet, I have a set of white rubbermaid drawers that holds my nail items, hair appliances like flat irons and curling irons, and randome hair tools like clips and brushes. On the floor in the silver train case is all of my Arbonne makeup, and the black one holds random cosmetic items that I dont really use anymore, but may find useful at some point in the near future.

There you have it!! Hopefully, I can record a video to show you better what my closet really looks like, but hopefully you can see how I've organized and simplified one area of my life!!

How do you guys organize your beauty items?? Please share!!

Shots!!!

Hey there guys and gals! Just wanted to share some pics that a photographer friend of mine, Kevin Auger, did for me. He worked magic!! I did my makeup and hair for the pics, and he took them. I'm not sure if I can even express how HOT and muggy it was outside the day that we took them. I'm surprised that you cant see the beads of sweat dripping down my forehead lol. But I had a blast shooting the pictures came out absolutely beautiful! Hope you like them!! If you're in the Rhode Island area and you'd like more information on Kevin's photography services, shoot him an email at KAugerPhotography@gmail.com. Thanks again Kevin!!

Hot Summer Nails

Normally, I'm the kind of girl who loves neutral, natural colors on my fingers. I often times dont even wear nail polish at all because I am constantly doing things with my hands and I hate the way chipped nail polish looks. But I guess that maybe summer has gotten into me because right now I'm absolutely LOVING bright, fun, funky nails. Let me show you...

This morning, I was having such a hard time deciding which color to go with. I had pretty much my whole nail polish collection sitting out on my dining room table. I have tons of bright blues, but for some reason, I was really being drawn towards the warmer colors...like the oranges, hot pinks, and yellows, as you can see from my swatches lol. All of them were so pretty and looked really nice, so my decision was a pretty difficult one! BUT, a choice had to be made! Check out my final decision below..

The color I chose is called "Tarte Deco" by Essie. I've always been a fan of Essie nail polish...in my opinion, they have a great selection of colors, and they wear so well. I topped of my ring finger and thumb with some Crackle nail polish by China Glaze, and some chunky gold sparkles from Sephora. I'm LOVING my nails today!!

What about you guys? Are you feeling the bright, summer colors on your nails, or are you into the more natural tones or french mani's? Do share!!

Food For Though: Skin Care vs. Cosmetics

As many of you know, I am an Independent Consultant with Arbonne International, and I am building a business through that company. My business is still growing though, so currently, I do still work a full time job. For my full time job, I manage a beauty department for a national chain store. Every week, we get our sales reports in, and this tells us how each area of our department is doing. The main areas that I focus on are skin care and cosmetics. I'm not sure how other stores or beauty departments sales figures look, but one thing that I've noticed every week for the past few months now is that cosmetic sales always seem so much higher than skin care sales.

This got me wondering: What is more important to you ladies? The instant gratification of using cosmetics, or the long term benefits of using skin care items?? HMMM!!!!

Now, for clarification, cosmetic items would be considered your foundation, powder, concealers, etc. Skin care is considered to be cleansers, toners, moisturizers, eye creams and such. In the mass market (drugstores, department stores, etc.), companies are constantly coming out with new cosmetics that are formulated to clear breakouts, control oil, hydrate the skin, and fight the signs of aging...basically, watever your skin concern is, there will be a makeup that will cover it up! But what about good old fashioned SKIN CARE?? Do you ladies still find it important to cleanse, tone, and hydrate the skin with cleansers and moisturizers formulated for your skin type and concerns? Do you find it important to simply take care of your skin so that your face can ultimately become "makeup optional"?? Just a curious question that I've been wondering for a little while!!

Personally, I'm huge on skin care. I think its really important to actually care for the skin by cleansing it and keeping it hydrated. I also think its important to protect it by using SPF and other ingredients that will help it during the aging process (I WILL age gracefully gosh darn it!). Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my cosmetics! On any given day, the least I wear is bronzer or blush, mascara, and a good lipgloss (Arbonne Lip Polish in Posh is my color of choice (; ), but I still find it more important to care for my skin so that I don't feel that its necessary for me to leave the house wearing makeup. Plus, I feel that since your skin IS in fact your body's largest organ, good skin is a sign of good health.

So fill me in ladies!! Whats more important to you, wearing cosmetics or having an actual skin care regimen? I'd love to know!!

Icon: Kimora Lee Simmon

As I grow older, I am influenced more and more by entrepreneurs. Mainly because, even though I'm in the early stages, that is what I am. One entrepreneur that I absolutely love and have so much respect for is Kimora Lee Simmons, so it is only right that she be placed in my Icon category.

Kimora Lee Simmons grew up in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri (she's a mid-western girl too...I'm originally from Ohio ;P ) and was raised by a single mother. Growing up, Kimora was teased by other kids at school because she was so different. Being of Japanese and African American heritage, and nearly six feet tall by age 11, Kimora was most definately an oddity at school, and kids even called her "Chinky Giraffe" (how hurtful!). To boost her confidence, Kimora's mother enrolled her in modeling classes...while her appearance was odd to others, it was beautiful and something to be celebrated in the modeling world.

Her mother was right. By age 13, Kimora had been discovered by a scout for an agency, and was eventually shipped off to grace the runways of Paris, France. Soon after, Kimora was discovered by Karl Lagerfeld, Creative Director for the House of Chanel, and she served as his muse. Before even becoming an official "adult", Kimora had graced the covers and pages of top fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle, and Harper's Bazaar.

Kimora entered the world of fashion design when she produced custom made baby t-shirts that read "Baby Phat" for the female models to wear during 1999 Phat Farm Men's Collection runway show at New York Fashion Week. Soon, everybody wanted that t-shirt, and from there, and entire women's collection was launched, and Baby Phat was born. Kimora served as creative director of Phat Fashions, and was the driving force behind the brands, ad campaigns, marketing, and business strategies. In addition, Kimora also stars in the Style Network's "Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane", and is author of the book "Fabulosity: What It Is and How to Get It." She also is heavily into philanthropy, and donates her time and support to numerous charitable organizations. Kimora Lee Simmons has achieved so much in her short life of only 35 years, and on top of everything that she does, she also is a mother of 3 children, and a wife.

Kimora truly inspires me. She knew what she wanted from a very early age, and worked hard (and continues to do so). It is so common for people to say how badly they want something, yet they are unwilling to sacrifice in order to acquire what they truly want, but Kimora is a perfect example of what vision, goals, and determination can bring about. I love the fact that she is a young business woman who is able to balance her normal life of motherhood and being a wife. I love the fact that she shows her two daughters and son exactly what a strong woman should be, and that any goal is attainable no matter what your circumstances are. What I love most though, is that even though her over the top personality makes her seem like some type of "diva", when you see Kimora in action, she is truly just a real person, and is truly someone to be admired.

Top 5 Beauty Must Haves

So, I was thinking about all of the beauty products that I use on a daily basis, and I realized that there are just certain products that are in constant rotation. These products are definitely my MUST HAVE ITEMS. I just cant live without them. With the change of the season, and all of this cold weather, my must have items have adapted to the weather. Here is a list of my Top 5 must have beauty items for the winter:

1. Arbonne BefoRE Sun Lip Saver
WHY?: First off, I'm addicted to lip balms. My lips have a tendancy to get very dry, so I am constantly using this product to keep them hydrated. A little bit goes a long way with this lip saver, and I love the fact that, unlike the majority of lip products, this one contains NO mineral oil, chemical dyes, fragrances, or animal byproduct. PLUS, it also has an SPF of 30, and if you know me, you know I am all for sun protection.

2. Coconut Oil
WHY?: It may sound strange that I use coconut oil in my hair, since generally, it is used for cooking, but this stuff is the TRUTH. My hair is very curly, very frizzy, and very dry. I use coconut oil as a light weight oil for my scalp and on the ends of my hair. As soon as I put it in my hair, I feel an instant difference. My hair is immediately more hydrated, softer, and more managable. When my hair feels super dry, I also use this for deep conditioning treatments. I'll use whatever deep treatment I'm using at the moment, and add a little bit of coconut oil to the mix for an extra dose of hydration. You will not believe the shine that my hair has after. I love this stuff!

3. Arbonne FC5 Skin Conditioning Oil
WHY?: As soon as the weather got cold, my eczema started acting up. I mean acting UP!! I've always had a small patch of eczema on my left hand, but this winter, I recently developed small patches on the back of my left arm, and around my elbows...it's so annoying and itchy, and not to mention unattractive. But when I use my Skin Conditioning Oil, the itch almost immediately goes away, and the irritated area seems to almost disappear. This oil does not leave you actually feeling "oily" either. And I just LOVE how it smells! FC5 products contain cells from strawberries, mango, kiwi, carrots, and pumpkin that stay freshly entact until they make contact with your skin...so the skin is getting all of the soothing and hydrating benefits of these ingredients at their finest. I also use this a cuticle oil around my nails to keep my cuticles hydrated. Even my little dog Macho loves FC5 - everytime I use this on my hand he tries to lick it off!

4. Water
WHY?: Okay, this sounds like a no brainer. I absolutely love drinking water. I'd rather drink water over anything else. I love nothing better than an ice cold glass of water. Sometimes, I can tell that my skin is just SCREAMING for water..not to be used topically, but internally. After 25 years of being in the skin that I'm in, I know my skin very well. When it tells me it needs exfoliation, I exfoliate. When it tells me it needs a deep pore cleansing, I use a mask. When it tells me that its tired, I give it a break by not wearing makeup and getting rest. And when it tells me its thirsty, I drink water. Simple as that.

5. Arbonne Clear Advantage Spot Treatment
WHY?: Oh, the joys of acneic skin. This post just made me realize that I'm a huge skin care mess...seriously! I have breakouts, oily skin, and eczema...I'm a hot little mess! But seriously, this product works wonders on those random pimples that pop up and just seem to stick around for days. I find that within a few hours of using this spot treatment, my pimple has already begin to disappear a little. If I use it again before going to bed, I almost dont have a pimple in the morning when I wake up. This product is a must have for keeping my skin clear enough so that I dont have to wear makeup (unless I want to). For the most part, I'm a minimalist. I love makeup, but I dont always like to wear makeup because I break out so much, plus I dont always have time to do my makeup the way I'd like. So with my spot treatment, I'm in the clear...literally lol! My breakouts get treated in a very effective and efficient manner with this little tube of treatment. Plus, unlike a lot of other spot treatments, it doesnt dry the skin out as it is treating the problem area. The Clear Advantage Spot Treatment is good stuff.


So what are some of your favorite items that you just cant live without this winter? Do you have a favorite hand cream, eyeshadow color, hair product? Fill me in!!