Hobbiton 2015

  Ever wondered what it felt like to be a Hobbit?  

What my 1st tid bit of advice is.... get on a plane and fly to the most beautiful country ever; NEW ZEALAND. Our first excursion was when we drove to Rotorua. A stinky little city, not too far from Auckland, it is well known for it's natural hot springs that give it that lovely warm egg salad sandwich smell. This city has tons of fun touristy attractions to offer. And you know we did them all. I am sure you can only imagine how we looked with our GoPro, selfie stick, huge Cannon Rebel camera (with lenses in tow), and our constant look of amazement. We drove to another city not far from that... and then we arrived at Hobbiton. 

   At 1st glance it looks like a little gift shop surrounded by rolling green hills and so many sheep that if you began to count them it would lead to a very deep sleep. 1 sheep, 2 sheep, 3 sheep, 4... snore snore snore. You get on a little bus and drive up and down a couple baby green hills then you land yourself at the gates. I felt like such a nerd. My heart pounded and my little feet couldn't wait to walk the same dirt roads as the actors did. When you come up to the 1st Hobbit hole, you have your heart crushed. ***caution*** If you are a die hard fan, I would prob skip this part.  The Hobbit holes do not go deeper than 4-5 feet. Most of the holes are just windows and doors. But we did get to go "inside" one of the doorways. Enough to get a feel for how small a Hobbit really is. Here is one of my favorite pics.

 

The attention to detail is mind blowing.  You feel like you are in the movie when you are walking the grounds. This is a giant movie set. If you ever have the opportunity to go, it is a must! There were people sprinkled all over the movie set replanting, maintaining, and cleaning. Our tour guide was silly, upbeat and she definitely knew her Hobbit movie facts. The tour came with her own little trivia questions that made you want to go home and re watch every movie. I have to say that it is worth every penny. We paid $75 per person and I would do it again in a heart beat. At the end of your tour you get to have a free drink at the "Green Dragon Tavern". I chose the ginger beer, so delish. We also shared a giant cookie while we sat by the fire place. Levi managed to crush the cookie into oblivion while running around playing hide n seek with all the other tourists. There were so many smiles on this particular tour. From the moment you see your first Hobbit hole all the way until the end when you see this..... (pic below)  

Here are some other pics we took that day, enjoy!And for real... go to New Zealand. My next post will prob be more about Rotorua and all the fun outdoors-y stuff we did. But until then, happy Hobbit day dreaming to you! XOXOX

 

Much Love,
A

Post card #1

  3 COUNTRIES.. 24 HOURS  (PART 1)

We are finally home from an amazing vacation. We have been on 6 planes, traveled to 4 countries, and been to so many tourist locations, I have officially lost count.

Our adventure started on December 12th. With lots of prayers sent our way, we had a very successful 10 1/2 hour flight to Fiji. Then we had 15 hours to kill before the next leg of our trip. So hard to do in Fiji right? (Insert major sarcasm and a big smile) What else would you do in Fiji BUT visit the beach!?!? Bula! Bula! Bula! That is the 1st thing you hear when you step foot onto these amazing beaches. Fiji is home to the sweetest people. The hospitality is so warm and inviting, much like their beaches. The water felt like a warm bath, the sounds of coconuts plunking on the soft sand from above and the gentle warm breeze made me feel like my life was a movie. I expected an upbeat song to start playing when I ran into the ocean for the 1st time. Levi was sound asleep on the sand under a coconut palm while Tony and I were play in the sea. I gave Tony a big hug and a kiss, because I knew from that very moment that this was going to be a trip of a life time.    

To Cuff or Not to Cuff

Booties are the hipster girls best friend. BUT, booties are often a gateway shoe into many fashion crimes. The number one offense associated with booties; CUFFing. May not sound that bad, but have you ever seen a woman walking around with saggy ankles and adorable booties? Not a good combo. To pull off a bootie, you must pair the shoe with an appropriate bottom. (ie: not bootleg pants & no saggy ankles, and definitely no 3/4 length pants) You must cuff cuff cuff. You can change up the cuff depending on the style of your jeans. In this case I am wearing high waisted skinny jeans. Since I have ankles the size of a 5 year old, I MUST cuff. I can't even wear those adorable tapered jeans that are already cropped for your convenience. (Insert pouty face) Moving on... I suggest you put on your shoes before you cuff your jeans. This will give you a good visual when you are measuring how high your cuff will go. Just experiment with different lengths. I typically won't fold over my jeans more than twice, does that make sense? If you fold them up more than 3 times your ankle starts to look like you are "just big boned", or like you quickly preparing for a flash flood.
 
I digress. Anywho,  it's not that hard. Just make sure your cuff is wrinkle free and your seams are straight. THAT'S IT! Viola! You are done! You are free to go out and look fab. <3 And to answer the question...... CUFF, always cuff.        

Love,
A

Favorite Flawless Face Brushes

Everyone always asks what brushes I use for my foundation routine. Well...here are my, not so secret, secrets. All these brushes work together in perfect makeup harmony to give you a flawless face. Even when you aren't feeling so flawless. 

Foundation: 

Sigma F80 flat kabuki brush or Sigma F82 round kabuki brush ($24-28)

Setting/powder: 

Dior powder brush ($55-60)

Highlight: 

Sigma F35 Tapered highlight brush ($24) 

Contour: 

Sigma F40 Large angle contour brush ($22)

Blush/bronzer: 

MAC duo fiber #187 ($42) 

I love these brushes for many reasons. First; quality over quantity. That is not to say that I don't own some very cheap and effective brushes, BUT you can definitely feel the difference. Quality brushes tend to be made better, therefore lasting a long long long time. Quality brushes are much softer in my experience, and more gentle on the skin. Yes, quality brushes are an investment. But if you are deciding on high end eye brushes v. face brushes, I say go for the face. Anyway... I am getting of on a tangent now.

Reason number two; I love kabuki brushes for buffing in foundation. This is a must for a flawless face. How many times have we seen women who's foundation looks like it is just sitting on top of their face? OR, even worse, you see exactly where their foundation ends on their jaw or hairline. Gross right?  With sigma kabuki brushes (or dupes for sigma) you can stipple on your foundation then buff it into your skin. That way your skin still looks like skin.

Three; Powder brushes can be found anywhere BUT I fell in love with this Dior powder brush when I was freelancing for Dior. I think it has something to do with the weight of the brush. It has a beautiful weight to it. That sounds so lame, but wait until you feel this brush. Not only is it pretty, but its functionality is amazing. It is hard to over do the powder with this brush and it blends and buffs so easily. Moving on to highlighting, this Sigma tapered brush is the perfect shape to set your under eye concealer or highlight your cheekbones. The shape and the softness is perfect. I am sure there are plenty of dupes for this brush, but my husband spoiled me last Christmas. And for that I am thankful.

Four; Having a light hand is useful when applying your contour/blush/bronzer. If you are anything like me... you need all the help you can get. Too much blush can make you look old or like you have had one too many drinks while getting ready. And no one wants that. The MAC duo fiber brush is perfect for ANY powder. You can use it for highlighting, blush, bronzer, the list goes on and on. But I love this brush for bronzer or blush. It blends like a dream and you can build color rather than have to worry about dabbing off what you didn't mean to put on. And the Sigma contour brush speaks for itself. It was made for contouring and it is the perfect shape to hollow out those cheeks and make your cheekbones jet out like Kim K.

Anywho... I will stop blabbing. Let me know if you have any questions. I will be happy to answer.

All sigma brushes: www.sigmabeauty.com

MAC/Dior: Nordstrom.com 

Love,

A

Anastasia Tamanna Review

   ANASTASIA Tamanna Palette  

On Black Friday, I decided to visit my girlfriend at Nordstrom & of course I couldn't leave without some goodies. I love my Lavish Palette by Anastasia, so I thought I would give the Tamanna palette a go. AND... So far I love it. I don't think the eyeshadows are as pigmented as they could be. Overall, for 10 shadows and only $29, I would consider this a steal. I am in love with sangria, Bengal, blush, china rose & gilded. So, pretty much I love them all. Obviously you can tell from the swatches, the color "fresh" is the color of my skin. Which is actually pretty awesome, because sometimes I skip my eye primer and just use my foundation AND "fresh" would be the perfect setting powder so my lids don't get creasy.  No one likes creasy lids, yuck. 

These colors will look good on anyone and compliment any eye color. Bengal is the perfect transition color for your crease. And all the other colors wear beautifully. The staying power is outstanding, I got about 10 hours of solid "wear-ablilty" before it started to wear off. 

Obviously I am pro Anastasia Tamanna Palette... it is inexpensive, 10 gorgeous shades, and good pigmentation. Go swoop one up ASAP, because it won't be long until the Queen of brows pops out another palette.

      

Give Thanks

Today is the day we give thanks for a year of good fortune & good health. We get so wrapped up in our daily routine and when you add holiday errands into the mix... the holiday season is over before you know it. Let us all take the time to relax and reflect on how blessed we are. We have a tendency to day dream & busy ourselves with the hopes of bigger paychecks, more time, a healthier lifestyle, etc. Whatever your personal situation may be, we are blessed. Today, let us give thanks for the amazing people and the amazing life we have.

   I am thankful for:      

My husband & my son

My parents & everything they do for us 

My new family, the Stewarts & their amazing love.  

My friends, even though we don't see each other very often, I appreciate the little time we do 

Our good health

My Arbonne Biz

Our New Zealand & Australia trip in December

Our beautiful home (still a work in progress) but I love every minute of it

This new blogging adventure

I hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving. And don't forget to say your prayers before dinner & let the big guy upstairs know what you are thankful for. 

Love, 

A    

Black Friday tips n' tricks

Do you like to get up with all the crazed deal snatchers at 4am on black friday? It doesn't matter if you love it (like me) or loath it. Regardless of your feelings towards black friday, everyone loves a deal. If you follow my simple rules for a safe, sane and simple black Friday your day can be a smashing success. 

RULE 1: 

...BUT first Coffee...... & some more coffee. 

RULE 2:

Make your list & stick to it.

RULE 3: 

Go "pre-shopping" 2/3 days before. I like to go and pick out exactly what I need or want. If it is a small business, they will probably let you hold your items until black Friday, because they will need the business. JUST ASK. If you are headed to a big box store, just shop around and see where everything is located and try things on BEFORE all hell breaks loose. 

RULE 4:  

Bring a friend who loves to shop. Don't bring a Debbie downer. Bring your bestie and make an event out of it. Trust me, whether you are getting up at the butt crack of dawn or going out mid day you are sure to see some unforgettable shenanigans.  

RULE 5: 

Be kind & pass it on.  Over the years, I have noticed that everyone seems to be angry. WHY? We are saving our hard earned cash! You would think that would turn even the Grinch's frown upside down. So why not be that ray of sunshine that everyone seems to be missing? People forget how to be people on black Friday. All manners and common courtesy seem to be thrown out of the window.  Some women turn into barbarians over a 1/2 price silk blouse, if you ask me, they wouldn't look good in silk. So watch for those elbows and dirty looks. All jokes aside, when I smile, use please and thank you and say excuse me... heads turn and people play follow the leader. Start a happy train and see how many people smile back at you.