Love my new Lipstain!!

I don’t like to wear makeup. In fact I rarely wear it anymore. When I was in my 20’s I wore it every day, the whole shebang: foundation, concealer, eye shadow, mascara, blush and lipstick. Just the thought of spending all that time applying makeup makes me cringe now, especially with a soon to be two year old. But one thing that I still wear no matter where I go is lipstick. Like a Visa card, I “don’t leave home without it.” I think it really gives my face color and adds a bit of finish to me without too much fuss. So with all that said, I have had a heck of a time finding a lipstick that works for me. I have tried so many different types that I have lost count. I’ve used Lancome, MAC, Lorac, Nars, and many others and I still haven’t found one that works for my needs. I’m not knocking the manufacturer’s I’ve listed above, I like their makeup a lot, they just haven’t been right for me. Then I found Covergirl Outlast Lipstain. It’s everything that I’ve been looking for.

I like my lipstick to feel as natural as it looks – less is more is my philosophy. I don’t like it when it glops up and feels sticky or tacky on my lips. In fact, I really don’t want to feel my lip color at all, but I want to give some color to my face. Well Covergirl’s Lipstain definitely does all that. The thing I like the best about Covergirl Outlast Lipstain is that it feels so good I hardly know it’s on. Covergirl Lipstain is 5 times lighter than regular lipstick. I also don’t like my lip color to bleed and fade quickly, nothing looks worse to me than kool-aid lips, as I like to call them. I can honestly say that Covergirl Lipstain does not bleed and lasts for a long time. I even ate my lunch with the lipstain on and my lips still looked good afterwards. Now that’s a true test of a lip color’s staying power if you ask me.

Outlast Lipstain uses water-based soluble colorants that instantly infuse into the top layers of your lips, rather than coating the outside, leaving them looking and feeling virtually weightless. Because your lips absorb the color, there’s no chance of smudging. I also love the fact that Outlast Lipstain does not dry out my lips like a lot of lipsticks that I’ve tried. Since Outlast Lipstain is this season's newest, hottest look, it may not be on the CoverGirl wall yet at every store. So check for the standalone Outlast Lipstain display or ask that the store order it!

Stop by covergirl.com to learn more about Outlast Lipstain, chat with a CoverGirl Beauty Consultant and get "colormatched" to find the shades which best flatter your complexion. Check it out and create your own hot CoverGirl looks!

Wordful Wednesday

These are a few pictures of our visit to the National Building Museum here in DC. One of the many Inaugural Ball's is going to be held here for President-Elect Obama. It is a beautiful building and we love to come here every chance we get. Since my husband and I both have worked (and still do from time to time), in the building industry, we try to make it to many of the great exhibits that they have here. One thing that the museum does have is a Building Zone. It is a place where you can bring your kiddles to play with building types of toys; blocks, tinker toys and the like. We took our son for the first time and he loved it. He especially liked to be pushed around in the big construction vehicles as you can see in the photos above. The space has a huge open courtyard area and there are always children running everywhere. It's a great contained space to let them play, especially when the weather is bad.

If you ever find yourself in the DC area be sure to pay a visit to the National Building Museum.

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Love my Muk Luks....

I just got the best pair of poochies that I’ve ever worn. Oops, don’t know what poochies are? That is my family’s slang for slippers. Something my husband used to call them when he was a child and how we’ve started referring to them with our two year old.

Oh, about the poochies……. Have you ever heard of Muk Luks? Basically they are like a sock/slipper combo. They have a hard bottom on them so they are sturdier than some other slipper/sock’s that I’ve seen. I like to have a bottom on my slippers in case I need to run out to the mailbox or take out the trash. What I really like about my Muk Luk’s is that they go up my ankle and part of my calf. In the past when I sit down my pant leg would ride up and my ankles were exposed. With my Muk Luk’s that doesn’t happen anymore.

They are available in some really fun designs and colors so they add a bit of pizzazz to your leggings too!

I'm tired......

Doing too much and pulling back, that is what I plan to do this year, and I mean it! My husband has been telling me for quite some time to “pull back” and do less but I haven’t really been listening. As a matter of fact I’ve been piling more and more on my plate and frankly I’m getting burned out big time. In addition to my eboutique, blogging and my son, I also teach full time online at an art school. It’s just too much and I’m just tired of having no time for myself and I feel like I’m short changing my son. My little guy will be two in February and I can’t believe how fast this time has gone. I know that he will grow up in the blink of an eye and I just don’t want to miss any of it. I am fortunate that I can work from home, but I still have to work and devote time to things other than him. I want to be able to take him to the park and to the library for story time but because of all the work I’ve been doing I can’t seem to find the time during the day. After having a break from school and from blogging I have come to realize that I really love this down time and that I NEED to do less. My son is the most important thing I have ever done and the best job I have ever had . I’ve done many things in my life, eboutique owner, human resources specialist, interior designer, architectural lighting designer, teacher, but the most rewarding job I have ever had is being little guy’s mom. He is the only job I’ve ever had where I can’t wait to go to work in the morning. I can’t wait to see his face first thing in the morning, I can’t wait to hear the new words he will say today, I can’t wait to teach him and show him new things, the list goes on and on. So with all that said, I really feel the need to reevaluate what is important and do more for myself. In addition to spending more time with my son, I also want to do more things for me. I have always loved making jewelry, I think I will take more jewelry making classes to learn new jewelry techniques. I love to read books but have had very little time to read, other than “Goodnight Moon”. I want to do more reading for me. I also want to write a book - I can’t tell you when the last time was that I wrote in my journal.

Do you have the same feelings? Do you want to do less in the New Year? Maybe I’m being selfish, but if I’ve learned one thing in all my years, it’s that life is WAAAAYYYY too short. The last thing I want in my life is regrets. I always remember that famous line, I’m sure most of you know it, “No one ever looks back on their life and says I wish I would have worked more”.

Wordful Wednesday

I was looking through my pictures and came across this pic of my little guy this past summer. Now that Winter is here, leaves are off the trees and the sun is gone by 5pm this really made me realize how much I love the beach and the sun. I can't wait until I get to stick my toes in the sand again. I envy those of you that live near the beach and can plop yourself down with a good book and a hat anytime of the year.

My best wishes for a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year to you all!

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Christmas at our house

Here's me baking the traditional tea ring we have every Christmas morning. Notice little guy is cooking too in the background :)

DS and daddy. I love this pic

Here are a few pics of our Christmas morning. It was a wonderful day. Woke up and fed the guy some oatmeal and fruit and then got down to the business of opening presents. He'll be two in February, so he doesn't quite get the whole concept but he sure got the hang of opening the presents. He was so good he even started helping us open ours. We didn't get him too many toys because we don't want him to be overwhelmed and he really just doesn't need all that stuff. Since his birthday is also in early Feb he'll be getting more at that time so we try to keep everything in perspective. His favorite toys are his tool box, he wanted one so bad after watching daddy with his. He also got a house from Playmobil with little people and he really likes them too. One of his favorite toys is a crazy gizmo that we got from one of the museums we went to this past fall. I'll post a pic of it on Wed.

I hope you all had a wonderful day with your friends and family! Hard to believe we've come to the end of another year - so quickly!!!

Need some SPICE in your life??

It's not what you think - ha! Whether you love to bake, cook or both, I’m sure you often find yourself in need of spices and herbs to add flavor and give life to your dishes. If you are tired of the same old, same old that you get at the local grocery store, then you should give Penzey’s Spices a try!

I received a gift set of spices as a wedding gift a few years back, and ever since that time I’ve been a big fan of Penzey’s spices. I rarely, unless it’s emergency, buy my spices anywhere else. I think they have such fresh and flavorful spices compared to any other that I’ve tried. Their Chinese Cinnamon is especially delicious.

Lately I’ve been wanting to add some jalapeno powder to some of my recipes. I don’t know why I didn’t go to Penzey’s as my first stop. I checked around the local grocery stores and couldn’t find it there. It was no surprise when I checked Penzey’s website and found it there.

The thing I really like about Penzey’s is the glass jars you can store your spices in. I like to pinch out my spices on my food, rather than shake. I also like to use my measuring spoons when I’m baking and the wide mouth glass jars allow me to do that. The spoons fit perfectly in these jars.

The spices come in bags so you can refill the jars as needed. I keep the unused spices in my freezer until I need to refill the jars. That way they keep just as fresh as the day they arrived.

The next time you need spices think about Penzey’s.