My facial cleaning regimen

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I've been asked by a very pretty reader what my facial cleaning regimen entailed. I used to be HORRIBLE when it came to washing my face at night. I'd just sleep through it and wash it off in the shower the next morning. Sure, I'd get the occasional bump, but cleaning it daily didn't clear my skin up either so my lazy self told me I'd be alright.

I've also been blessed to work for a medical practice that doesn't have clinic every day. We have patients, in my particular office, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I see two other female co-workers so I don't care that I scare them off go bare. Not wearing makeup but maybe three times a week--four, tops--has helped my skin breathe. It has cleared up those lazy-to-cleanse-bumps but I also take pride in how I wash my face now.

Here's what I do:

I cleanse my face with OXY Maximum Face Wash but because of the chemicals that can dry out my skin, I'm scared to rub the wash over my eyes to remove the makeup. I never really used soap on my eyes but I had a friend growing up that did. I always thought it was kind of strange, but it worked for her. I also use a rag when washing my face because soap, water, and a little splish-splash doesn't remove all of the makeup.

I simply rub my eyes with water and my hands until the mascara and/or eye shadow begins to smear. I then take a corner of the rag and rub off as much as I can without causing pain to my eyelids and eyeballs.

Next I will lather a squirt or two of the face wash in my hands and wash my face. And rather than splashing water in my face, I'll take another section of the rag and wipe it down, making sure there is plenty of water to rinse it. I'll often repeat this step to ensure all makeup is removed.

Because I'll probably still have raccoon eyes at the end of all this, I will pull out some eye makeup remover, shake it up, apply to a cotton ball and rub on my eyes until the black has vanished. I use Neutrogena Oil-free Eye Makeup Remover but the Wal-Mart brand works just as well.

Aestheticians will probably advise you to apply some sort of moisturizer to your face after washing it, but I don't do that until I apply makeup the next day. But if you try this face wash and it dries your skin more than you would like, by all means, please apply some moisturizer.

I wash my face every Tuesday and Thursday night and the nights of when I go out over the weekend. Face washing regimens are different with every person. If you want something simple, try something like me. If you want something that gives you a deeper clean-feel, try giving yourself some sort of mask once a month. I like Lauren Conrad's post for a 5-step Facial. She suggests an at-home spa day instead of spending money for a professional facial. We can all stand to save money so read what she has to say!


What is your facial cleansing regimen? Have you changed it through the years? What would you suggest to someone looking to switch up things?

National Lipstick Day!! (a day late)

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Okay, so I know I'm a day late with this post, but HAPPY NATIONAL LIPSTICK DAY!! You didn't think I'd forget about all my fellow lipstick lovers out there, did you?

And now it's time for a little history about lipstick...

Ancient Mesopotamian woman were possibly the first women to invent and wear lipstick. They crushed gemstones and used them to decorate their lips. Gimme some jew-ry for my lips!! Women in the ancient Indus Valley Civilization applied lipstick to their lips for face decoration. Ancient Egyptians extracted red dye from fucus-algin, among other ingredients, which resulted in serious illness. Lipsticks with shimmering effects were initially made using a pearlescent substance found in fish scales. How's about smelling like fish all day? (source)

Some key celebrity lipstick trendsetters...

Elizabeth Taylor

Marilyn Manson

Gwen Stefani

...and many more--but these stuck out to me.

My suggestion in honor of this day (whether a day late or not) is to go out and buy a new tube of lipstick!! Find a color that you can get a lot of use out of with the clothes in your closet. And if you're unsure of that magical color, stop in your nearest department store and ask one of the makeup consultants about what shade would best match your skin tone.

DIY matte lip

I've seen it. You've seen it. We've all seen it. Matte lips are very trendy this year and you can find them on the runways or at the workplace. Have you wanted to try the matte finish but not have to buy duplicates of your favorite colors? Thaaat would be me. Unless there is a deal like some BOGO action, I'm not going to be buying the same of one product just because one is shiny and one is matte. So what can you do?

I've been doing a little bit of research and found some pretty cool tricks to DIY your lips and to achieve a beautiful matte lip.

WHAT YOU NEED:

Covergirl Outlast All-Day Lipcolor (only the moisturizing half--but any chapstick-like stick will work) | Maybelline Line Stylist Lipliner in Red no.510 | Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in Red Revolution no.630 | Covergirl Loose Translucent Powder

STEP 1: Moisturize.

STEP 2: Line lips.

STEP 3: Apply lipstick.

STEP 4: Blot with a tissue and dust powder through the tissue.

STEP 5: You now have a matte lip!!

If you don't have any translucent powder in your makeup bag, you can substitute it for blush. What?! Yep. Just remove the tissue from the equation and swop out the powder for the blush. Pat it on your lips and you're done.

WHAT YOU NEED:

Covergirl Outlast All-Day Lipcolor (only the moisturizing half--but any chapstick-like stick will work) | POP Beauty Pouty Pop Crayon in Fuchsia Flirt | MAC Mineralized Blush in Dainty

STEP 1: Moisturize.

STEP 2: Apply lipstick.

STEP 3: Smear blush over lips.

STEP 4: You now have a matte lip using blush!

Which do you like better? Personally, the blush is quicker for me and less fuss but I like the look of the loose powder brushed through the tissue. It doesn't change the color of my favorite lipsticks--because if I wanted a different color, I would have bought a different color. But it's still fun to mix with colors and find something new. It's like buying a new lipstick from the store!! 

Both of these options give you a long-lasting color on your lips. It won't smudge on drinking glasses nor will it smudge on someone's cheek when you kiss them goodbye. It truly lasts all day. And if you do need to touch up, you can reapply like normal. Most stains/24-hour lip colors make my lips dry when it's been on for that many hours. And it's hell to rub those off if you do need to reapply.

This DIY trick makes me a happy girl. I'm saving money and keeping my lips moisturized while looking matte. Do you have any different ideas for a DIY matte lip? I'd love to hear it and try it myself!!

Way Late Play Date

Thursday was the Way Late Play Date at the Adventure Science Center in Nashville. They host this after-hours 21+ event every few months with a different theme so we decided to check it out.

In January, the theme was...

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...and in May it was

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The theme this month was Super Heroes/Villains...

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We saw Captain America, Batman, Raven, Poison Ivy, Marty McFly, Harley Quinn, Ramona Flowers, and Storm to name a few. Tickets included admission to all of the floor exhibits, three drink ticket stubs (beer or wine), laser tag, and a planetarium show. And if you dressed up as your favorite characters, you could enter yourself into the costume contest.

Jerry, being the comic reader that he is, wanted to go and I thought it would be pretty cool myself. I've lived in Nashville for seven years now and have yet to go to the Science Center so this would be a fun opportunity without all those snotty brats running around. My family used to go to the Children's Museum in Jacksonville, FL every year when visiting family and it was similar to this place. I know I'm not ten anymore but given the adult drinks, the night was planning to be great!

I'm about to clog the rest of this post with pictures. There's your warning. 

Why can't my legs look this long in real life?!

Oh jeez. Squatty legs make the cellulite very noticeable. Gross.

We're being pulled apaaaarrrrt!!

Jerry tried to lever closest to the car...

...and Brant tried the lever farthest from the car. They both got it well off the ground but this lever was the easiest. One hand was all you needed.

This was always one of my favorite things in the kids' museums. Takes me back...

Brant the paleontologist.

The Magic School Bus!!

You are now looking up at a heart.

How cool would it be to have an entire room set up with lights like this? I wanted to steal them.

The exhibits included mazes, illusions, a space room, disability awareness, mind control, kinetics, how the body works, dinosaurs, etc. We spent about three hours there. The only thing I didn't like was the planetarium show. It was about natural disasters so there were three segments about volcanoes, earthquakes and tornadoes. I'm hoping at the next Play Date it will be different.

And speaking of the next Play Date, at the registration table, they gave us a flyer for the next one.

BLOOD THIRSTY THURSDAY!!!! It's set for October 24th from 7-10 pm. I'm really excited about this one. It's near Halloween so it won't be as strange dressing as a zombie or killer than it was dressing as a superhero this week.

If you live in the Nashville area or plan on visiting around this time in October, visit this page for more information.

High Five for FRIDAY

IT'S FRIDAY, SO...HIGH FIVE!!

1. How cute is my nephew?! Zion has been drinking out of his "big boy" cup for a while now but he just learned to blow bubbles. And milk makes the BEST bubbles!

2. My mom always asks me to draw stuff for her music class. I can draw but I don't consider myself talented. None the less, she wanted these letters to signify that music is in everything. Math, langUage, hiStory, readIng, and sCience.

3. Who remembers The Miz?! He started his fame on The Real World, moved to MTV's other show The Challenge/Gauntlet... And now he's a WWE wrestler. Who would have thunk?

4. Yes I know I already posted about this makeup here, but I'm just too excited to let it slide. THIS is my next challenge to see if I want to branch outside of my box. Weeee!

5. Hands down, BEST SUSHI in Nashville. If you haven't been to Sam's next to Printer's Alley, do it. DO IT NOW!! This plate was 8 massive rolls for only three bucks and some change. Sam isn't your average sushi chef. Sit at a table when you walk in. He will call upon you when he's ready to take your order. He may not be "friendly" but don't let that sway your decision to stay. Trust me.

I'm linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for H54F!! I hope everyone has a wonderful and relaxing weekend!!!

I just wanna have fun!

I haven't completely decided on what kind of "makeup artist" I want to become. Although stage/performance/theatrical makeup is tons of fun to play with, at the end of the day I saw myself doing more bridal, boudoir, and daily looks.

Daily.

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Bridal.

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Boudoir.

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Then I see pictures like this.

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...and this.

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...or this.

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What I like about the first one is that the look really embodies the Navajo culture and that this artist wasn't afraid to experiment with colors in places other than the eyes. I like the second one because...well, feathers. And the top picture in the last one would be so out of the norm in the bridal/boudoir/daily makeup world. I think that's why all three of these pictures draw me in so much.

I'm officially giving myself a CHALLENGE. First of all, I need a girl who is willing to be my guinea pig. I am going to try to recreate each of these looks. It will help me think outside of my "makeup box". I'm curious to know if this is something I want to do or if it's just fascination with the art.

I would like some fresh faces so raise your hand or say I DO!! I guess I could always do this on my own face but that's not as fun.

The Tale of Half Christmas

Yes, it's that time. It's HALF CHRISTMAS!!!

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If you watch Comedy Central's "Workaholics" then you know what I'm talking about. But, if you don't know what this REAL holiday is all about, watch it here.

We're celebrating  Saturday night. You should join us!!!! (Or at least have a party of your own.)

Annnd a message from Alice Murphy:

(If you're sensitive to cursing, do NOT click on this video. You've been warned. Haha.)

Happy National Tequila Day

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If anything besides holidays are marked on my calendar, it's this. In all its' glory, National Tequila Day is something I look forward to a) because it gives me an excuse to drink, and b) because I can make margaritas up the wazoo and I won't be considered an alcoholic--okay, maybe that does make me look like one just a little. Too bad it's in the smack-dab middle of the week, but what can you do? In honor of this day, I wanted to share a couple of my favorite drink recipes involving tequila.

But first, here are some interesting facts about tequila that you might not have known.

1. During the flu epidemic of 1918, physicians were telling patients to drink tequila to ail their sickness. It led to a huge tequila boom in Mexico.

2. The world record holder for the biggest margarita was in Orlando, FL at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. The glass held 5,861 gallons of blended liquors.

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3. Jose Cuervo was a real person.

4. Scientists can turn tequila vapors into diamonds. Wowza!

5. The Smithsonian has the world's first frozen margarita machine.

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And now to some recipes!!

INCOMMUNICADO

(This is a recipe from Margaritaville's drink recipe site and it's a combination of liquor, but I had to share this one! It's tasty and will get you tipsy pretty quickly.)

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 oz Vodka

1/2 oz Silver Tequila

1/2 oz Rum

1/2 oz Triple Sec

1/4 Gin

1/4 Grenadine

1 oz Pineapple Juice

1 oz Cranberry Juice

1 1/2 oz Margaritavilla Margarita Mix

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients and shake, shake, shake. Pour in a margarita glass with ice or make it frozen.

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EASY FROZEN MARGARITA

(This is the easiest and probably my go-to drink with tequila--unless of course I'm shooting it instead.)

INGREDIENTS:

1 can frozen limeade concentrate (This concentrate can be any flavor you choose)

12-15 oz of tequila

Ice cubes

DIRECTIONS:

Blend all ingredients inside a blender until the ice is smooth. Pour in a margarita glass and enjoy!

This next one I haven't actually tried but by the name of it, I'm really curious to see how it tastes. Let's try this one together!!

CUCUMBER JALAPENO MARGARITA

(Courtesy of Michael Symon)

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup Fresh Lime Juice

1/2 cup White Tequila

1/4 cup Orange Liquor

1/4 cup Simple Syrup (optional)

4 thin Slices of Cucumber

1 Jalapeno, halved lengthwise

Ice

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all ingredients together in a large pitcher except for the ice. Chill for at least an hour. This act will bring more flavors of the cucumber and jalapeno out the longer it sits. Pour over ice and serve with salt if desired.

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Since Hump-Day doesn't always call for margarita making, we can at least all raise our shot glasses and say...

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Everyone drink responsibly, and

HAPPY NATIONAL TEQUILA DAY!!!

Super Mario Meghan

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I'm walking around the giant chain chomp trying to dodge its' bite. I feel like I'm watching a Super Mario Brothers' movie but I look down and everything around me is life-like. I am Mario and my friend, Kacey, is Luigi. Behind the chain chomp is a sack full of gold. And we need that gold to buy Japanese food for the princess that is locked up in a submarine. Bowser had moved away from castles and his new lairs were underwater. Oh joy. Kacey is trying to distract the chomp so I can sneak around and grab it before I get eaten. It's not that easy as if I were playing the game. Together we finally grab it and run away to this cliff with canons lined up next to the edge. There are instructions on a sign and we have to climb inside and shoot ourselves down below and into the water. The canons were the only thing to give us enough force to shoot us into the water and in the latch of Bowser's sub.

Up and then down we went! We held our breaths and swam as hard we could. We were just about to pass out when the water cleared from inside the loading station. Whew. We made it. Kacey was the one who realized that we didn't buy the Japanese food so he swam back out and caught some fish. He told me sushi would have to do. Back in the sub, there weren't any guards so we easily found Peach. We hesitantly walked to meet her because Bowser was no where to be found. We knew he was going to pop out and catch us at any time. The more baby steps we took toward Peach, we more clear we could see Bowser's shell and a pile of red hair sitting to the side of the fire pit. Peach's eyes started to glow red and she was licking her fingers. Kacey and I both looked at each other because we just realized that Peach had gone mad! She was nice enough to tell us that although Bowser's plan was to capture her and keep her underwater in the submarine, the river was contaminated. It turned her into a disease-stricken woman and she couldn't control herself any longer. She overtook Bowser while he was sleeping and had just finished eating him for dinner. Peach begins walking toward us while saying she was glad we made it in such short time. She began licking her fingers again and was humming the theme song to the Super Mario Brothers game. Kacey and I were cornered. We both closed our eyes, Peach lunged towards us and...

My alarm came on!!

Thank God this was just a dream. I didn't want to be eaten for dinner!!

I haven't seen, played, or even heard the theme music for Super Mario Brothers in over a year. So I have no idea how this dream even happened. It makes me wonder if maybe I did hear it passing by a store or in some background music on the radio and my subconscious pulled it out last night. Can I just take those magic pills that Bradley Cooper took in "Limitless" and remember it all? Then maybe I wouldn't feel so crazy.

It's just not the right time.

This is going to be my vague post and I know you'll just <love> it. So here goes...

First, and probably the most important, is that everything happens for a reason. If you're out there and waiting for something to happen but it doesn't or if what does happen isn't something you wanted, don't get upset and angry. This is a time to practice patience. The Universe has a rhythm and balance and this is just part of the plan.

For example, there was this man, Bobby, an old friend's uncle, who was diagnosed with cancer. He fought and fought for so many years until his body just couldn't handle it any longer. His family didn't understand why God would take away their son or brother. What they didn't know was that God was readying their hearts to be pioneers for Bobby's life after death. They learned patience, acceptance, and trust. They couldn't physically cure the cancer so all they could do was trust that this was a part of the plan. After Bobby passed, his family became advocates for cancer in their community. They raised enough money to get a cancer treatment building built at their local hospital.  And they continue to raise money to help sponsor those physicians who are getting closer and closer to that cure.

I have another friend from a previous job who told me that she might not be able to have children. Both her and her husband were tested after unsuccessful months of trying to conceive. Her test results came back normal but her husband's did not. They found out he was sterile. I don't know if it's just me, but I feel like all women have this innate desire to produce children. And if it were me who found out the news, I don't know how I would react. But I can imagine that she was hysterical. I know having kids are not life's sole purpose, but it's pretty important to carry on your family name. There are ways around this news like IVF, AI, and adoption. All three can be expensive but it CAN be financially accomplished. It seems like now-a-days everyone has baby fever. I would hate my life if I had to suffer through something like this when my social media pages are exploding with babies. Just saying.

Just know that if you are out there and you can't understand something that happened in your life, try not to let your emotions become you. It cannot be physically changed so all you can do is pray about it, meditate, accept it and move on. I don't want that to sound harsh because I am going through something at this point in my life as well. I have cried and cried over my situation but it has gotten me nowhere. We can all use this time to reflect. Find someone who can listen. Just talking these things out loud will help tremendously. And if anyone reading this needs an ear, I'm here.

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Bloglovin'

Follow me on Bloglovin'

So I finally signed up with Bloglovin'. As some of you might know, Google is getting rid of their Reader. Because I was already using it, they won't get rid of mine for a few months--luckily--but I still wanted to be prepared for the day that it just disappears with no warning. 

Bloglovin' is a great social media site that will take over as my reader. If you are needing to find a new one, I would suggest you check this one out! It will also keep you up to date with Lipstick Skulls. Win win.  So pass the word along. Find me on Bloglovin'!!

High Five for FRIDAY

HIGH FIVE FOR FRIDAY!!

Last week, I felt eventless. This week, so many things occurred!

1. The window in our bedroom meets the corner to the glass doors that go out to the patio. Asher and Sophie are always trying to fight the stray cat through the glass but they finally spotted each other. All we could hear was MEOW MEOW MEOOOW for like an hour.

2. I opened the notification window/drop down box on Pinterest earlier this week and I had 26 different pins repinned from this lady. I wish those followers could magically find the blog! Ha.

3. My brother-in-law's 21st birthday was Wednesday this week--funny fact: It was also David Hasselhoff's birthday!--so we celebrated with chocolate cake and gold grills; it was exactly Justin's style.

4. Remember the double braid hair tutorial that I posted a few days ago? Jerry decided to be a smart-ass and take a picture of himself first. Hardy har har. These are the times when I need to invest in a tripod.

5. I posted about both Ipsy and Birchbox this week as well. I'm glad they both arrived on the same day but Ipsy took the cake this month. 

Most importantly, it's officially the weekend!! Does anyone have any fun plans that they would like to share? May I come along? I'm just kidding....no, but seriously. I'm always up for meeting new people.

I'm linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for H54F. Click her name to find out how to do the same!

I'm a nine.

So if you follow Maskcara as I faithfully do, you will see that her post today is about personality styles. She took the Enneagram Test to find out what her "number" was according to the results. It peaked my interest to say the least. I remember taking the Jung Typology Test in college and I was an ENTJ  (Extravert 22%, INtuitive 12%, Thinking 1%, Judging 67%). At the time, I didn't think anything of it. But looking at those letters today, I realize that my judgement over perception needs some adjustment.

Before I got to Google search this particular personality test, Cara listed out what each number meant.

1 | The Reformer

2 | The Helper

3 | The Achiever

4 | The Individualist

5 | The Investigator

6 | The Loyalist

7 | The Enthusiast

8 | The Challenger

9 | The Peacemaker

I took the sampler test, all 30-something questions (I can't imagine how many questions are on the full version of the test!), and scored--wait for it--a......

The easy-going, self-effacing type: 

receptive, reassuring, agreeable and complacent.

These were the ranks for all numbers:

9: 1st place

3, 5 and 6: Tied for 2nd place

4 and 7: Tied for 3rd place

2: 4th place

8: 5th place

1: 6th and last place

What does that mean? Please note that these scores don't 100% typecast someone.

THE PEACEMAKER is the easy-going, self-effacing type. Nines are accepting, trusting and stable. They are usually grounded, supportive, and often creative, but can also be too willing to go along with others to keep the peace. They want everything to go smoothly and be without conflict, but they can also tend to be complacent and emotionally distant, simplifying problems and ignoring anything upsetting. They typically have problems with inertia and stubbornness. At their best: indomitable and all-embracing, they are able to bring people together and heal conflicts. (source)

According to 9types.com, theses are the dynamics of Type 9.

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My STRENGTHS: 

I have the need to find union, accept others, and do the right thing. I genuinely open up and accept those around me which can form strong bonds

My WEAKNESSES: 

I have fear of separation, illusions or misconceptions of the friendly unions around me, and less accommodation. The separation that scares me can make me distant with others, ignoring the people and world around me.

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HOW TO GET ALONG WITH ME:

Ask me how you would specifically want me to do something. I don't like expectations or pressure.

I love to listen and to find out ways to help you but I will never take advantage of you.

I can sometimes wander off in mid-sentence, but please continue listening until I'm finished.

Cut me some slack with making decisions. I want to think about all of the options.

There are never dumb questions.

Tell me when you like how I look. I'm not opposed to flattery.

Physical contact, like a hug, helps me open up with my own emotions.

I'm all for a good discussion but I probably can't handle confrontation. I might run away!

Let me know that you like something I did or said.

Be happy for me and whatever I've done or enjoyed in life.

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT BEING A NINE:

Being non-judgmental and accepting

Caring for and being concerned about others

Being able to relax and have a good time

Knowing that most people enjoy my company

My ability to see many different sides of an issue and to be a good mediator

My heightened awareness of sensations and aesthetics

Being able to go with the flow and feel one with the universe

WHAT IS HARD ABOUT BEING A NINE:

Being judged and misunderstood for being placid/indecisive

Being critical or myself for lacking initiative and discipline

Being too sensitive to criticism

Being confused about what I really want

Caring too much about what others will think of me

Not being listened to or taken seriously

AS CHILDREN, NINES OFTEN:

Feel ignored and that their wants, opinions or feelings are unimportant

Tune out a lot especially when others argue

Are "good" children; deny anger or keep it to themselves

NINES AS PARENTS:

Are supportive, kind and warm

Are sometimes overly permissive or nondirective

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Which one are you??

These kinds of test of fun in my opinion. Once you take these, get your best friend or significant other to take them too and see how compatible you are here. Jerry is a six. See how 9s and 6s get along here.

It's almost Friday! Enjoy the rest of your weeks!!