My Life in September 2019

Hello Everyone!

Another month is coming to an end, and that means it's time for a monthly lifestyle post. I'm writing this recap a little early this month. Don't forget to get caught up with all my posts from this month! Links at the end of this post!

I started September by having a cup of coffee. Normally I don't drink coffee, but I needed a energy boost. 

When it feels like Fake Fall weather outside, I get a cup of coffee 😂 There have been a few mornings it's been pretty cool outside, but then it will get hot by afternoon.

Business dinner meeting at Olive Garden

September 2, 2019 (Labor Day)

Photo courtesy of CNN

South Carolina was under a state of emergency and mandatory evacuations for the coast as a precaution for Hurricane Dorian 😔 Thankfully Hurricane Dorian didn't do much damage here. Please remember to keep those affect by the hurricane in your thoughts and/or prayers.

Labor Day Traffic/ Traffic from evacuees. I didn't really do anything for labor day. 

I was looking for Aloe Vera over the Summer, but it was always out of stock but I don't need it since Derma E Scar Gel works just as well :)

At the doctors office for a B12 shot. Please make sure you read my post about nutirent deficiencies. You can read that HERE

At the public library downtown 

The design of the library is very unique to me. 

Photo courtesy of The Weather Channel

I'm over Summer lol. 95 degrees is not a Fall like temperature! I'm not sure where this end of Summer heatwave came from, but I'm ready for cooler weather :)

Starbucks lemonade, yes please!

Watching the South Carolina vs Alabama game. I can easily believe there were 85,000 people here in the city for this game.  The Gamecocks lost. South Carolina has seen a lot of heavy traffic this month from hurricane evacuations and football games.

I know that families aren't perfect, but I noticed that so many people related to my post about toxic family members. For everyone that has a toxic family, remember that you matter.

I'm going to be honest, these charms from Yankee Candle are pretty, but the scents don't last at all! I literally opened Enchanted Moon and by the afternoon I couldn't smell anything. The scent in the charm doesn't last long either.  Long story short, I'll be exchanging these soon. I might add more charms, but Yankee Candle, please work on your scents.

Clouds and Countryside 

Harbison Park I've been trying to get more on touch with nature. I used to come here all the time when I was little. We lived about 10 minutes away from the park. This park brings back so many childhood memories.

Look at what I saw outside Kroger. Pumpkins! Yes, it's true I hate food or drinks made with pumpkins, but I do like to look at them.

Beautiful sunrise

I tried the new mac and cheese from Chick fil A. I like it. It doesn't taste like boxed macaroni and the cream sauce is pretty good. The noodles are not hard and the mac and cheese isn't dry. 

PR Samples

Urban Decay Naked Honey Palette 

3 Steps to Clearer Skin feat. Derma E Acne Skincare 

Zoya Sensual Collection: Fall 2019

September 2019 Posts

Well, That Explains A Lot...

Urban Decay Naked Honey Palette First Impressions

3 Steps to Clearer Skin Feat. Derma E Acne Skincare

Zoya Sensual Collection: Fall 2019

Family

Target Beauty Haul

Tarte Face Tape Foundation and Tarte Double Duty Beauty Shape Tape Contour Concealer

Coffee in the Morning

Coffee in the Morning

Hello Everyone!

Normally I don't drink coffee. During some mornings this month, I've found myself drinking a cup of coffee to get my day started.

I used to drink Starbucks Coffee when I was in college. The Cafe at my college used to serve Starbucks Coffee. Now if I drink a cup of coffee, I'll usually get it from Mc Donald's. I ordered a small coffee from Starbucks earlier this month and it was terrible! The coffee was too strong, and creamer and sugar couldn't make it better. Safe to say I took that coffee back lol.

When I get a cup of coffee I'll usually get a small cup and I try to only get a small cup of coffee 2 no more 3 times a week. I don't need a coffee addiction! Look at how the sun beams down on the coffee cup!

This particular morning Mc Donald's upgraded my small coffee to a medium for free. Thanks McDonald's! I still plan on sticking to that small cup of coffee :)

Do you drink coffee in the morning? Also, this is the second post for today, don't forget to check out my post Country Road

September 2019 Posts

Well, That Explains A Lot 

Urban Decay Naked Honey Palette: First Impressions 

3 Steps to Clearer Skin: Feat. Derma E Acne Skincare 

Zoya Sensual Collection: Fall 2019

Family

Target Beauty Haul

Tarte Face Tape Foundation and Tarte Double Duty Beauty Shape Tape Concealer

Tarte Face Tape Foundation and Tarte Double Duty Beauty Shape Tape Contour Concealer

Hello Everyone!

For my Blogiversary I received a few makeup goodies that included Tarte's Shape Tape Foundation and Concealer. *Disclaimer: Product information provided by ulta.com

Tarte Face Tape Foundation

Details

Find your perfect Tarte Face Tape Foundation shade!

A BRAND-NEW formula inspired by Tarte's iconic Shape Tape Concealer, this hypoallergenic, longwearing, full coverage foundation mattifies, hydrates & brightens your appearance. They've bottled up your skin-smoothing filters, selfie settings & Instagram feedback to create the foundation of your dreams. PLUS, this baby comes in 50 shades with 5 undertones.

What It Does:

Hypoallergenic, longwearing, full coverage with a natural matte finish

Transfer-proof, waterproof & sweatproof to keep you flawless through work & play

Snow mushroom extract, apple fruit extract & hyaluronic acid hydrate & brighten appearance

Pair with Shape Tape Concealer for double the perfection.

Why Tarte Loves It:

It's manufactured the same way as our #1 bestseller, Shape Tape Concealer making it the perfect partner to our holy grail.

Based on a consumer perception study:

100% said it helped minimize the appearance of pores 

100% said it covered dark spots, redness & imperfections

97% said it helped skin look smoother

97% said it felt comfortable & gentle on skin

97% said it felt lightweight & like it allowed skin to breathe

94% said it made skin look natural & healthier

94% said it felt nourishing

Skinvigorating Ingredients:

Snow Mushroom Extract

Rich in polysaccharides & helps hydrate & brighten skin

Apple Fruit Extract:

Rich in antioxidants to help protect skin against free-radicals

Hyaluronic Acid: delivers moisture, firmness & suppleness

Final Claims:

Tarte 12-hour power

Vegan

Hypoallergenic12-hour hydrationTransfer-proof

Waterproof

Sweatproof

My Thoughts

If you're new to Tarte, you may not have heard about the controversy when this foundation first launched. Customers were upset there was a limited shade range unlike the popular Tarte Shape Tape Concealer. Tarte rereleased this foundation in 50 shades. I like that this is a vegan matte foundation; however, you may want to use a good moisturizer when priming your face if you have dry skin. I've worn this foundation 3 times so far for about 9 to 10 hours, and I must say the claims are true. This foundation does have impressive staying power. I wanted to test the claims even further with the hot and humid weather here. My foundation didn't budge. I'm so glad this is a sweat proof and waterproof foundation. I noticed a floral type scent, but thankfully the scent does fade.The foundation claims its lightweight, but I found it more on the thicker side. A little foundation goes a long way. Since this is a full coverage foundation, I'll will be wearing this foundation during the Winter. 

Tarte Double Duty Beauty Shape Tape Contour Concealer

Details:

Only at ULTA!

Meet Tarte's iconic, ''can't live without'' concealer & discover why one is sold every 12 seconds*! Double Duty Beauty Shape Tape Contour Concealer is a vegan, super-blendable formula that instantly helps brighten, smooth & give the skin a firmer, more lifted look.

Benefits:

Full coverage with flawless matte finishConceals all imperfections & doubles as a contour/highlight product

Creamy, easy-to-blend formula won't flake or crease

Nourishes with mango seed & shea buttersHelps illuminate skin for a lifted effect

Always formulated without:

Parabens

Mineral Oil

Phthalates

Triclosan

Sodium Lauryl 

Sulfate

Gluten

Skin vigorating Ingredients:

Shea Butter: A natural skin emollient that helps retain skin elasticity and protects against degeneration

Mango Seed Butter: Vitamin-rich butter helps moisturize, condition and protect against free radical damage

Licorice Root Extract: Brightens the appearance of dark circles & color corrects

Final Claims:

Vegan

Dermatologist tested

Cruelty free

My Thoughts

Two words...Holy Grail! I'm highly impressed by the shape Tape Concealer. In a nutshell yes this Concealer is worth the hype and the money! I was unsure of which shade I wanted to try, so I took my mom along with me. She actually matched me better than I did. Funny story my mom didn't realize this was a Concealer at first so she was applying it all over my face Haha! Then she was said "if this Concealer is this amazing and flawless I can only hope the foundation is just as great. The concealer was in the wrong area. My mom was saying why are they making foundations so small now lol. 

I wore this Concealer during one of my busy MUA Clients days so that was about 8 hours. I didn't notice any creasing and the wear time was good as well.

Have you tried these Tarte products?

September 2019 Posts

Well, That Explains A Lot...

Urban Decay Naked Honey Palette: First Impressions

3 Steps to Clearer Skin Feat. Derma E Acne Skincare

Zoya Sensual Collection: Fall 2019

Family

Target Beauty Haul

Target Beauty Haul

Hello Everyone!

Today I wanted to share a collective beauty haul from Target. You may remember some of these items from my Blogiversary/PR Haul, but today I wanted to go more in depth about the products since I've had them for a few months.

- Covergirl Trublend Base Businesses: Skin Primer Skin 
  Smoothing

- Covergirl Trublend Base Businesses: Skin Primer 
  Color Neutralizing

- Covergirl Trublend Base Business: Skin Primer Pore 
  Minimizing 

Healthy skin is very important to me. These skin primer products by Covergirl help keep my skin moisturized and my makeup applies flawlessly. All of these products have a nice scent. The Color Neutralizing works wonders for my skin especially when I have hyperpigmentation issues on my cheeks.

- Covergirl Trublend Undercover Concealer: M100 
  Golden Natural

- Covergirl Trublend Undercover Concealer: M400     
 Warm Nude

- Covergirl Trublend Undercover Concealer: T100 
  Golden Amber

- Covergirl Trublend Undercover Concealer: T300 
 Warm Honey

- Covergirl Trublend Undercover Concealer: D100 
 Golden Caramel

I've heard so many positive reviews about this new
concealer by Covergirl. When one of my makeup client gave me one as a gift, I knew I was likely going to try a few more shades. I love how the formula of this concealer doesn't feel heavy and doesn't crease. I picked up a few more shades for highlighting and to use as an eyeshadow primer to create cut creases.

- L'Oréal True Match Super Blendable Powder: W7
  Caramel Beige

This is one of my favorite drugstore powders. This face powder feels lightweight and it's perfect to wear during the Summer. I have this poweder in N8 Natural Tan as well.

- Pixi by Petra Endless Silky Eye Pen: Matte Sienna

- Pixi by Petra Endless Silky Eye Pen: Pure 24k

- Pixi by Petra: Pixi+Maryam Maquillage Lit Kit Day

These products were Blogiversary Gifts. I can't wait to use these products during Fall! I love the Pute 24k eye pen, it goes will pair well with my Naked Honey Palette.

Have you tried any of these products?


September 2019 Posts

Well That Explains A Lot...

Urban Decay Naked Honey Palette First Impressions

3 Steps to Clearer Skin Feat. Derma E Acne Skincare

Zoya Sensual Collection: Fall 2019

Family

Family

Hello Everyone

I try to keep things 100% honest on my blog so today I want to talk about my family. You may have noticed that I rarely talk about or show my family on my blog (except for my mother). I recently recconnected with some members of my family. One of the biggest mistakes of my life, but all of this is a part of my story.

Some of my family members were the first teachers of lessons in distrust, deception, and deceit. That sounds really negative, but sadly it is negative. Over the years some of my family members have tried to make me feel like I'm not good enough or my efforts are pointless. I'm glad I know my worth, but the things they have done and said to hurt me is still very troubling.

I've heard rumors about myself that were false or not even close to story of what really happened. When I think of my family I often think of my granddaddy.  I miss him so much. Sadly he died in 2005, but I know this isn't how he would've his legacy to continue.  It seems like the family members that did love and care about me have all died. Unfortunately I feel left with the family members that are liars and manipulators, but who said life was fair right? God, I'm thankful for my mom and the few family members that I get along with.

I used to actually think my mom was adopted because how could a sweet kind loving person like my mother be related to such people? Incase you're wondering no my mom isn't adopted.

Family is not always blood related. I have people in my life that aren't related to me that have treated me with kindness, love, and respect.  I've had strangers treat me kinder than some of my family. I find it strange that my family gets offended when I don't come around, but why would I go around people that lie and start problems? That doesn't even make any sense.

2019 so far hasn't been that great in a few areas of my life, but I try not focus on the bad things. Things that are within my control, I make decisions as I see fit. If anyone in my family is snooping around social media you're reading my words that I find peace without the drama. If anyone in my family feels a certain way, then this post probably applies to you. I don't have any issues with some members of my family. I spoke my truth. As the saying goes the truth shall set you free.


September 2019 Posts

Well That Explains A Lot...

Urban Decay Naked Honey Palette First Impressions

3 Steps to Clearer Skin Feat. Derma E Acne Skincare

Zoya Sensual Collection: Fall 2019