And Then There Was One.....

Boo Hooo.... I have to head back to NY Tomorrow. Today was a great day. After spending the morning workin on the farm, we went to my favorite Ice Creme place for a little afternoon treat. This place is called MOO-ville and they make the best Ice Creme ever! All the dairy comes from their very own cows which are on premises.

After our treat we back to my Grandparents for a barbecue. This is one of my favorite things about being home. The fact that we can pop over to the GParents whenever we want. It always makes me feel all warm and cozy inside!

Night Y'all 

Oh Man.... 5 of Them

There is only two days left of my vacation and I still have so much I want to do. It always seems as though when I am home the days go by much faster than I want them too. Today we also worked around the farm for most of the day and then went to my Grandparents house for dinner, where I got to play with my little cousins ( age 9 & 3) in the pool. It was a lot of fun. After dinner, my mom, aunt and a friend of hers, and I went and seen Magic Mike. It was good, but I have to admit that I was a tad disappointed. Don't get me wrong those men have amazing bodies and I think I could seriously stare at Channing Tatum's abs all day long. But I thought the movie was going to be a comedy, and it wasn't, it was a serious drama. It was funny however to watch these middle aged women in the audience hoot and holler over the nearly naked men.

A Bit of Folley

Today we worked around the farm for most of the day and then hit up a local fair. Which consisted of about 8 vendors and a bunch of hay bales sittin around. Hilarious right. Welcome to Hillbilly Country!!

And the Cubbies..... LOSE, Big Time

Today friends of mine, my mom, and I went to Chicago to see a Cubs game. I had never been to Wrigley field and was really looking forward to the experience. And they were playing the Mets so it was to be quite enjoyable. Boy o' Boy was I wrong :( not only did the Mets beat the Cubs but they basically smeared the infield with their faces. Score; Mets: 17 Cubs: 1 Total crap right. But it was interesting to see the stadium!

A Little Minor League Fun...

Four hours of it to be exact. Baseball is a slow sport in general but this was pushin it. Tonight my mom and I took my Grandpa (papa to us!) to see a whitecaps game. He is the reason that I love baseball so much and it was fun to get to spend an extended period of time with him. We also had GREAT seats!

An extra special things they were doing tonight was 10 cent hot dogs. Yeah you read that right, it was awesome!

Night Y'all!!

Now the Vacation Really Begins

I have to tell you guys that this weeks posts might not be very interesting or even very long. I don't plan to do much other than help out on the farm, and see a couple of baseball games. Today my mom and I had lunch with a woman who's kids I used to babysit. Her kids are basically all grown now and one of them is even married. I still can't believe that, it really makes me feel old. I feel so relaxed when I am home, and it really makes me realize how homesick I am when I am back in NY. I miss the wide open spaces and the fact that out here I can look up at the sky and see an uninterrupted view of the stars. It may be hard work livin on a farm but, it is so rewarding when you look back on the day and see how much you have accomplished.

A couple of our Farm Friends!

Recovery... Farmer style

Yesterday was a very long day.... but well worth it! I can't wait for you guys to see the pictures. Today after sleeping in, you guys are not going to believe what I did. I'll tell you but remember that I grew up in the country and that my parents live on a farm and we do "Farmer" like things when I am home (which I thoroughly enjoy). Alright you guys asked for it; We went to a tractor show at the car museum and then we went fishin and had a barbecue by the lake. I even caught my first fish!!

Yes I know, I am not wearing any makeup, but honestly on the farm there is really no reason to. We don't leave much and with so much work to do, I get sweaty and then my mascara would just run into my eyes, therefore no makeup. It was a thoroughly relaxing day!

Night Y'all

The BIG Day!

Okay so I will admit that I am actually writing this post over a week after the actual event but I really wanted you guys to be able to see some of the pictures before I told you all about the day. I hope you'll forgive me :)

My sister looked so beautiful that day. And she had a smile on her face the entire day. It really was an amazing thing to witness. The day was relatively uneventful. My mom and I spent the morning meeting with some of the vendors as they came to set up different things. Then we met my sister and Ashley, her other bridesmaid, for our hair appointments (which seemed to take way longer than was anticipated) and then headed back to my Grandmothers to get dressed. After doing everyone makeup (mine included), and forgetting to eat lunch, we got dressed

After having our pictures taken, the three of us (the bride and two bridesmaids) headed to the site. On the way there Ashley remembered that she needed to stop at a bank, we had the time so we pointed the car in the direction of the closet bank, only to encounter a ton of construction (of course, right). Finally we hit up the ATM and were once again headed in the right direction. About two minutes before we were to pull in my mom calls us and tells us that they forgot to bring the flower girls flowers for dropping down the aisle. After conferring with Sam we decided to head back towards town and grab some from a local florist. Picture this, two girls in bright blue dresses and high heels, with a bride stuffed into the back seat racing through town to try and find a parking spot, then once we do we leave the cupcake shaped girl in the backseat and run up (still in heels mind you) a hill and into the florists shop where we basically yell all out of breath at the poor girl behind the counter what we needed. With a scared look on her face she scurries off into the back and presents us with our needed item. After paying, we raced back (now downhill) to the car and off to the wedding, all the while cracking up!! It was quite an adventure :) Other than that the day went off without a hitch and everything turned out beautiful. Even my speech turned out to be pretty good if I do say so myself, I had the whole place shaking with laughter and tears in their seats! Here are some additional shots from the day!:

This is my FAMILY!!

In our town we have this really cool movie wall, on our movie theater!

I there are a ton more pictures and we haven't even seen them all yet. If you guys like the pictures then you should check out our photographer's facebook page. Like her to see some more of her work, it's really amazing!

Hope you guys had a great start to the weekend!  

Rehearsal Fridays

Today was the rehearsal for my sister's wedding, and of course the obligatory dinner afterwards. My 6:00 am flight this morning was very uneventful, other than being delivered to the wrong terminal and having to walk (and lug my big suitcase) to the right place. When I got to MI there was a massive list of things to do, including decorate the reception sight. After we were finally done with that, and I was totally exhausted by that point, I went home to dress for the rehearsal and do my sisters makeup (our dry run for the following day). We had a great time rehearsing and at the dinner, although I have to admit that my family is pretty awesome and we have fun basically anywhere we go. Now we are back home and finishing up the favors. As I type I am being called back to join the fray. My sister seems very calm and only a bit anxious. It is still hard for me to believe that tomorrow my baby sister will be walking down the aisle and pledging herself to someone else forever.

Tomorrow should be fun!

One day....

That's all I have left... I really need to focus on getting some homework done and packing up the massive amount of stuff I seem to think I need for a nine day vacation to my mom's house. 2:45a.m (yes you read that right that's what time I have to get up to leave for the airport in the morning... or is that still considered night time?) is going to come awfully early.

Hope Y'all are havin a great week :)

Oh CrAp.... No Wait it's all Good!

This week is going by WAY too FaSt. I did however check a couple of things off my To Do list:

• Purchase a new Foundation- DONE!!
• buy a dress for the rehearsal dinner- Done, kind of. I found a dress in the back of my closet that I had totally forgotten about and would actually be kind of perfect, so I mark this one as done as well!
• Pay a visit to the Brow Bar- Done, and my eyebrows are thankful for it!

As for the foundation, the girl that does my eyebrows also does makeup and when I told her about my sister's event, and asked for a foundation recommendation she pointed me towards this one

This is a baked powder foundation in the color combo TAN. It seriously blends perfectly with my skin tone and to add to the greatness of this product it covers all my spots and my under eye circles which means I don't need to wear concealer, SCORE!!!

It cost about $30 dollars with tax and is a little more (OK a lot more) than what I usually spend on foundation, but for the double action it provides it was totally worth it. But Saturday will be the true test, since the wedding is outside I really wanted something that wont sweat off (it's supposed to be somewhere in the 80's that day) and I will be wearing my makeup for about 12 hours I don't want to be touching up all day. Here's something else fun I did today, I filmed a tutorial on doing makeup on someone else. Look for the video soon on my YouTube channel but I will give you guys a sneak peak on the look I did:

I used the lust palette from Wet N'Wild and love the way the colors look on her skin. Dina was such a great sport and I sent her home with a bunch of goodies!

After all the chaos of this week I am looking more and more forward to my vacation, I can't WAIT to go HOME!!!

Graduation Awesomeness

Not my own Graduation of course, that would be way more epic than awesome. Today was actually the youngest boy that I nanny for graduation from Preschool, which means that next year he will be going to Kindergarten and I will be losing my lunch buddy :) while I am happy I am also bittersweet about it because for almost four years it has been him and I everyday for a little lunchtime fun and now I will be all alone. I really feel like time goes by more quickly when you are watching a child grow up.

As for the To Do list; you might be wondering how many I checked off today and the answer would be.... 0. I know it's terrible, but between all the activities at Preschool and other things we had going on it really felt like time was stacked against me. And now I am down to two days to get everything finished. Better get my butt movin :)

Maniac Monday's

I always feel like I am a bit out of control on Monday's and this one is no different. After a good hour at the gym I was feeling really good, till I got home and realized how much I need to do before I leave on Friday. Here's the list:

• Have dress pressed
• Eyebrows done (I love, love, LOVE the brow bar at Ulta!!)
• Pack (YIKES)
• Buy a dress for the rehearsal dinner
• Purchase a new foundation (all of the ones I currently have no longer match my skin tone since I have gotten so tan already this summer)

Might not seem like a lot but add on top of it all the demands of my job and it makes for one very stressful four day lead up to my vacation. Stay tuned to see if I get it all done

Steph's Tidbits:

• So many things are going to change in the up coming year that its a little bit frightening, but very exciting at the same time :)
• I have to give a speech at my sister wedding, I really like doing things like that usually but for some reason I feel a lot of pressure to make it meaningful. Still have no written a single thing down..... Yikes
• I could really use a glass of wine tonight!

Sultry Sunday....

So as mentioned previously I had a hair appointment. Drum Roll Please................

I changed my color up a bit, added a bit of red to enhance my brown color. It really makes my eyes pop.

I did a combination of the top picture, and the bottom picture (see Friday's Blog post below). With a sweeping bang, with shorter hair in the back and longer choppy layers around my face. I love it! But what do you guys think?

Drugstore Saturdays

This Morning I filmed a video about my favorite Drugstore Makeup brushes, a top Ten video.

So here are my Favorites:

From Left to Right:

Elf- Flattop Kabuki brush
Sonia Kashuk- Foundation Brush
Elf- Blush Brush
Elf- "C" Brush
Sonia Kashuk-Flat shader brush
Elf- Contour Brush
Elf- Angled shader brush
Elf- short shader brush
Studio Tools- Fluffy Brush
Elf- Concealer brush

All of these brushes can be found at Target and I did not spend more than $15 for any of these, what a steal right!

I also had some runner ups:

Left to Right:

Elf- Fluffy Face brush
Sonia Kashuk- fluffy brush
Elf- Bronzer brush

In the video I did I also mentioned the Ulta Professional Crease brush which is one of my Favorite Brushes of all time.

Time for a Bit of a Change

To my hair that is. Usually I can go about three months and then I feel the need to switch things up with my hair or furniture or (boyfriend:) something. I got that feeling this past week and since I cant do anything about my furniture and don't currently have a boyfriend, I made an appointment with my hairstylist for Saturday. But I am having a hard time deciding what to do. Currently my hair is a little longer than shoulder length and dark brown. Here are the pictures I have been drawing inspiration from:

I love all of these pictures (not for the color of course) But like the Victoria Becham one the most I think. I also really like this bottom one for the sex appeal (something I feel I am missing in my life) but am a little concerned about the massive amount of bangs going on. I guess we will have to wait and see what happens. I always bring pictures with me to the salon, since I have a hard time explaining what it is that I want I find it helps them understand me better. I will post a picture on Sunday for you guys to see. Enjoy your Friday night everyone!!



Night Y'all! 

A Bronze Thursday....

I have been testing out makeup looks for my sister, whom I am doing makeup on for her wedding. She has bright blue eyes and a porcelain complexion. She really likes bronze colors for eye makeup so I did this look this week to see what she thought, its a little smokey for our taste but what do you guys think?



I however really like this look. Its the perfect smokey eye, a bit of bronze a bit of black alot of sultry :) I used the Naked Palette to achieve this look, whenever I go a long time without using this palette I always forget how much I love it. Still searching for that perfect makeup look for her and only 8 days to go..... No need to Panic yet!

Night Y'all 

And Now I Feel Old....

Next weekend my sister is getting Married. My Little Sister is getting Married. I still can't believe it. I will give you guys a sneak peak at my dress!:

Its a beautiful Cobalt Blue color and has a halter like top. We get to wear silver shoes, which I have a pair of but just might use this as an opportunity to pick up a new pair (SCORE!!!). I am still debating how to wear my makeup, I am thinking something light purple or a champagne Brown color. What do you think?

Summer Lipstick Bonanza

 1. Rimmel- Dreamy
2. Maybelline- Born With it
3. Revlon- Cremesicle
4. NYX- Iced Honey
5. (Not pictured) NYX- Narcissus

I am lovin the peachy pink corally lip that everyone is rockin this summer! I used to never be a big fan of lipstick but now I can seem to leave the house with out sweeping on a quick color. A great color lipstick can really pull a great makeup look together. My favorite right now is the Revlon Lip butter in Cremesicle. I love this color (I'm sorry it doesn't quite show up in the picture, its not that pigmented) its a subtle hint of coral with a lot of shimmer that really makes my lips POP!

What color are you sporting the most this summer??

Steph's Tidbits:

• I Just purchased the Sheer energy face primer from Hard Candy. I am not that familiar with this brand, I only have a few products from them, but I am excited to test this out!
• I am lovin the first two episodes of the summer series of Pretty Little Liars. Who's your Favorite character? I really liked Aria last season but this season I love Hanna's hair this season!
• Wahoo Yankees are about to take control of first place in the American League!!!

Oh Man....

It's Monday again. I never have much to say on Mondays it seems.

It's a GlamBag Day!!

So last night I also got my Glam Bag! I either must not of noticed it when I got my birchbox or someone thought the packaging was shinny and decided to play with it for a little while. I have mixed feelings about this bag, there is only four products and I will probably only use three of the four products ( I have a niffty basket full of all the stuff from my birchboxes and glambags that I am not going to use that I let people who I do makeup on choose from!).

I really don't like the bag this month, it is super glittery and gets all over everything and reminds me of a stripper.
I received:

Philosophy- Light weight Moisturizer
NYX- Round lipstick ( my color is Iced Honey)
Living Proof- Frizz Nourishing Styling Cream
Marbella- Semi-permanent Eyeliner Pen

This bag seems a little empty, and since the theme was out all night I was expecting something that would keep my makeup on all night or somethings like that. All of these brands are of great quality which is a bonus and I love NYX stuff so they score a point for that but otherwise I am a little disappointed in this bag. The good news is, next month is a whole new month and another chance for them to impress me!

Steph's Tidbits:

• Now that spring T.V season is over I have nothing to watch on Sunday Nights. The good news of this is that now I am getting my money's worth from my Netflix
• Two months ago I started really trying to lose weight (I know I posted on my 26 to do before 26 list that I was going to start in January... what can I say I'm a procrastinator). So far I have lost 12 pounds!! That's an accomplishment for me!!
• In only 13 days my baby sister is going to become a married woman. CRAZY

Recovery

Owwww my head hurts.... between the beer, and the loud music my head is not happy with me this morning. But it was worth it! I had so much fun shakin my Bon Bon last night :) Now here is a confession; I am like the biggest white girl when it comes to dancing. I feel like I look like someone who is having a seizure on the dance floor. But even with all my crazy moves the other ladies taught me some salsa steps and we danced up a storm. It was wonderful to get out of the house and move my body. Although today I am not looking forward to my run, which I might actually skip given all the stuff I had and did last night. But imagine my surprise when I finally ventured upstairs to make some coffee and found a pink box waiting for me. I feel like my Birchbox came really early in the month this time. But I am really pleased with this box:

In my box I received:

Beautyblender- brush cleanser
Comodynes- Self Tanner packets (2)
Coola- Cucumber matte mineral face SPF 30
TheBalm- Stainiac in Beauty Queen
ModCloth- Headband
John Varvatos- Men's cologne

I love the headband, it is so fun and I can't wait to wear it this summer!

Hope you guys all have a wonderful Saturday, do something fun and do something for yourself!

Latin Friday's...

Tonight I plan to dance the heartache and whatever else might be rollin around inside me, right out of my system. Some friends of mine invited me to join them at a club near the waterfront where a live Latin band will be performing tonight.

I went with a colorful tank that I paired with a light black sweater (not pictured) and Grecian sandals (also not pictured). For my makeup I used the Urban Decay Greed Palette, which is one of my favorites. You can check out a video tutorial on this look on my YouTube Page. Wish me luck tonight, I hope I don't embarrass myself too much :) 

Enjoy your Friday night everyone! Night Y'all

Life Goes On....

Isn't it funny how even though you might be facing some sort of inner turmoil, life irrevocably keeps moving forward. This is what I have been pondering today. No matter what may be going on in your heart, soul or mind the world continues its cycle. People around you continue to move around you, even though you may feel as though you are standing still. Personally I feel as though I are moving at a snails pace lately, while the rest of the world seems to be in super sonic mode. My life seems to be in the same position it was three years ago when I took this job, and yet I feel infinitely more wise. It's a conundrum, one I shall have to explore further.

Night Y'all

Humpty hump day....

Today I kind of hit a brick wall. The training I am doing for the 5K I am running the first weekend of July has started taking its toll on me. I have been trying to run everyday, for at least 1 1/2 miles. But today during my run, I was just over a mile in and could not run a step further. I am most worried about embarrassing myself, by not finishing or by coming in last even though I know its simply running the race that counts. I think I might be putting too much pressure on myself. What's your advice? How do you push through a workout barrier or wall?

I am interested in hearing what you, dear readers, have to say about this!

Night Y'all

Mr. Friday is No More....

OK, now I feel like I can say this out loud and not totally break down. This past weekend Mr. Friday and I bid each other adieu. While my heart does hurt for what I have lost, I also am mature enough to know that when it's time, it's time. There are no hard feelings, which I am grateful for, I cherish the time we spent together and wish him nothing but future happiness. As for me, I have been feeding my heart cookie dough and ice cream for the last two days, which does not bode well for the bridesmaids dress that I have to don in two weeks time. But today when I woke up I decided that its time to be a big girl. I went for a long run this morning, which is when I tend to do my best thinking, and decided that no matter if I am single or attached to a man I don't NEED someone else to define me. I Am Motivated, I Am Beautiful, I AM driven, I Am Smart, I AM. I am all of those things with or without someone. And that makes me feel awesome. And you know what so are you, whoever you are reading this. No matter whats happening in your life you are amazing and events or people don't define you, YOU define you.

That's all the life advice I have for now.... :)

~ Stephanie~

And Still.....

I still feel yucky..... That's still all

Poo on Me

I feel yucky..... That's all

The Roof is on Fire....

I seriously hope not. Tonight I plan to make dinner for Mr.Friday. He's not been feeling well lately and I hope to entice him with my culinary skills. More than likely though he will run screaming towards the nearest McDonald's. I have very little ability in the kitchen, I can follow a recipe but for some reason the finished product just seems to come out a little wonky. But here's hopin I can pull this off. After dinner we plan to go see the new movie Snow white and the Huntsmen, a movie we are both excited to see. I better get crackin on this dinner.

Wish me Luck!!

Finally Friday....

I am so happy it's Friday! It feels as though this week took forrrrevvvver. Even though it was only a four day work week. I can never understand that, but perhaps its because we got an extra day on the weekend and our bodies have had  a chance to really relax which makes going back to work that much harder.

I hope you all had a stellar week!!

Night Y'all