Playing Dress up

If you recall, last week I attended a little event for Radiant Cosmetics, a fabulous local company dedicated to ending the fight against human trafficking. Well, this week I decided to play dress up with some of my new Radiant products!  I felt sort of like a little girl who’d gotten into her mother’s makeup… it was fun. I’m not used to seeing myself in bold pink lipstick (or bold red gloss, for that matter), but I was actually feeling it. I think these two lipcolors might be my new favorites!  The pink was creamy and wonderful, and the red gloss (called “Rue,” which makes me think of Hunger Games,) smells good enough to eat. I also tried out a pretty mauve-ish eye shadow and a peachy blush… winners, all around!  Here are a few photos of all the shenanigans, with links to the products I used below.

1 (rue) | 2 (utopia) | 3 (not quite terracotta) | 4 (peony)

Happy Wednesday!

Radiant

Like I mentioned yesterday, I had the real pleasure of attending the “Beauty for a Purpose” event by Radiant Cosmetics, a local Austin company I am a HUGE fan of!  Not only are these cosmetics high quality and fabulous, they’re also deeply rooted in an excellent cause: 20% of ALL sales go towards ending the fight against human trafficking.  Nicole, the owner of this fab AND socially conscious company, has a very compelling story here on her website.  Just makes me so happy to see people following a dream and a vision that not only includes successful entrepreneurship, but also furthering a cause they’re passionate about.  You GO girl.

So anyway, I just wanted to help spread the word about this company, because you’re going to spend money on cosmetics anyway… might as well support a good cause while you’re at it.  I’ve tried these products myself, and I’m completely sold!  Browse the shop here, if you’d like. And if you’re looking for a fantastic red lip gloss, try this one in “Rue.”  Another post on my favorite Radiant products coming SOON…

Now for a few photos from the event!

Kelly, thanks SO much for coming with me and helping me with pictures! :)

DJ Mr. Burnz

The event was held at 2nd Street’s own Plain Ivey Jane… LOVE this store! And they have the coolest website!

Beautiful Nicole, the face behind Radiant.

Makeup artist Lauren Davis with Hint of Shimmer

Happy Tuesday!

Let’s talk hair.

Let’s face it. One of the perks of being a blogger is getting to try out awesome products so I can report back to you all about them! Today I’d like to tell you a bit about a super sweet hairdryer from the wonderful people over at Missiko.  It’s like maybe they saw my pictures and knew my hair needed some serious help… and they’d be right.  I’ve been using the same cheap Revlon hair dryer for probably about 5 years now, and sometimes it sparks inside and smells like it might actually burst into flames.  Fire hazard, anyone?  No to mention it doesn’t dry my hair very well.  Which I didn’t know then, but I know now.

After receiving my Hana dryer in the mail, I did a little experiment.  I set a stop watch on my phone and timed both the drying and the flat ironing afterwards, which is how I usually style my hair, and with my new Hana dryer, it took 7.5 minutes to dry and 17 to flat iron, to total 24.5 minutes. (and I have A LOT of hair.)

A few days later, I dried my hair with the old Revlon and then flat ironed it, and the drying took a whopping 13 minutes, flat ironing 20 minutes—to total 33 minutes.  So basically, the Hana dryer just shaved 8 1/2 minutes off my styling routine. For someone who is ALWAYS running late (as we discussed), this is sort of life altering.

What I found interesting was that it not only shaved time off the drying, but also off the flat ironing.  It’s hard to explain, but I was sort of in awe of the incredibly what I’d call “soft” but powerful airstream coming out of that puppy.  It doesn’t even get as scalding hot as my old dryer, but it dries the hair more quickly and the end result is so much softer and less frizzy than how my hair would look after using the ol’ Revlon.  I was pretty dang impressed, you guys. 

Ok, and ONE LAST THING.  Missiko doesn’t just send you the hairdryer when you purchase.  You get this huge box of all kinds of amazing goodies. I was literally shocked, and even emailed them to ask if it was a promotional deal or if everyone gets such an amazing VIP package.  Sure enough, everyone who orders this dryer gets the same box, stuffed with Paul Mitchell shampoo and conditioner, Hana shine serum, a straightening comb, an eyelash curler, two hand sanitizers, bath petals, a handful of nail files, and a freakin’ teddy bear, y’all.  Talk about bang for your buck!

So check out their hair dryers (I have this one) or professional hair straighteners if you’d like, and know that they definitely come with a shining recommendation from your ol’ pal Jenni. :) 

  

Christmas in your mailbox. Once a month.

Hello lovers… anyone out there feeling the after-Christmas blues?  January can sometimes be a bleak month.  This year, though, I was only briefly visited by that post-holiday depression—like, only during the time it took me to pack away all the Christmas decorations and get my filthy house back in order.  Now I’m just super excited about the year stretched before us!  So much possibility! :)

Anyway, I know lots of bloggers are probably already privy to this information, but I wanted to do my part to spread the word, too.  (plus, I get free stuff if you sign up… holla…)  I want to tell you about Birchbox, the most ingenious thing invented since dry shampoo which, consequently, came in my December Birchbox.

What IS Birchbox, you ask?  Why, it’s like Christmas in your mailbox, once per month.  A reason for living, if you will.  For the price of $10 measly dollars per month, you get a delightful little box of high-end beauty samples tailored to your tastes, so that you can try them out before you spend the big bucks on them.

I’ve received a Birchbox for both December and November so far, and have been thrilled will the samples in each.  I ended up ordering the dry shampoo pictured in the last photo!

My January Birchbox…

 

And a few of my favorite items from December’s Birchbox…

Seriously, why didn’t I think of this concept?! (*bangs head against the wall*)      Brilliance.

So go sign up for your Birchbox.  It’s $10 a month, and there’s no commitment.  Only awesomeness.  And a Birchbox subscription would also make an amazing gift.  Doooo it.

A recommendation.

Hey all you beauty buffs out there!  This isn’t a paid endorsement or anything, but I just wanted to tell you guys about a great new product I discovered this weekend.  When I find something I really like, I want to spread the word about it!

So, I’ve mentioned how I have a ridiculous number of white hairs already, right?! I blame it on bad genetics and my tendency to stress/freak out over almost nothing on a regular basis, dating right back to childhood and my unusual concerns over crapping my pants in public or immaculately conceiving a child, Virgin Mary style.  So yeah.  Premature aging happened.

I used to pull out the white hair, but recently I went ahead and just started dying it.  This weekend I decided to try a different kind of dye than usual, and I really loved it!  It’s by L’oreal, and it’s called Sublime Mousse.  Instead of a sticky, goopey gel, it’s a mousse that’s a bit easier to apply, is less smelly, and washes out so, so much more quickly and easily then others I’ve tried.  Plus, the conditioner it comes with smells amazing.

For an at home dye kit, this one is pretty awesome.  And it costs nine bucks at Target.  Cheap + Awesome = Freaking Really Awesome.  Yup. 

Happy Sunday. :)

 

If you’re interested, you can order the hair color here.

How-to: Topsy Tail. The braid for us slow kids.

Lately I’ve noticed plenty of talk around the blogosphere about fabulous, intricate braids like the fishtail or even the classic french braid.  Some other bloggers (like Katie) have posted great tutorials, but as it turns out, I have pretty shiesty finger/eye/hair coordination and can’t for the life of me braid my own hair. 

It is a sad spectacle when I attempt it; one which usually ends with lots of frustrated expletives and general bitterness towards the world.

Enter the topsy tail.  Remember?  You probably wore your hair in a topsy tail when you were just a little ‘un, and I say let’s bring it back.  It’s more interesting than a ponytail, but less exasperating than a fancy braid.

It’s the braid for us slow kids.

Here’s the steps:

   

If you try it, blog about it and send me your link! I wanna see! :)

Happy almost-Friday!

Ramblings on Age and Beauty. (RIP Elizabeth)

Aging terrifies me. 

I know that it’s a part of life, and wrinkles are a sign of life well lived and blah blah blah, but all those reassurances are kind of lost on me.  Aging and the passage of time still worries the crap out of me.  Why does everything have to deteriorate and… die? 

I was genuinely sad to hear of Elizabeth Taylor’s passing yesterday.  I sifted through some hauntingly beautiful images of her, and I might have shed a tear or two.

The thing is, Elizabeth didn’t really age all that gracefully. Maybe she was just eccentric, but to an outsider looking in, it would seem she clung desperately to the beauty of her youth ‘til the day she died, and I sometimes wonder how much of her identity she drew from the woman she no longer really was. Not that she ever stopped being Elizabeth Taylor or an icon, but as we age, we grow… different. Just a thought.  I don’t claim to know a thing about her, and I’m referring only to her outward appearance.  She seemed to be a really wonderful person and humanitarian, regardless.

I think we have to continuously reinvent ourselves in this life.  We should learn from the person we once were, but never let that person fully define us. 

A few months back I told my mom that I don’t feel my age – that I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I’m 24 already when it seems like just yesterday I was still a teenager.  Then my mom told me that she doesn’t feel her age either, but a combination of all the ages she’s ever been.  I thought that was interesting. 

I guess I just want to age gracefully.  There will probably be many moments of crisis when I find a new age spot or a new wrinkle or when my neck skin starts getting all loose and I end up needing that saggy-chin-skin surgery (have you seen that commercial?!), but most importantly, I want to be beautiful, in the most appropriate way, regardless of my age.  And I don’t just mean physical beauty.  Age will rob us all of that, so we really should make sure there’s some substance beneath it all.  Yes?

Sorry for the randomness of this post.  I’m just thinkin’ out loud.

List of Ten Tuesday! Beautiful is......

Another week has come and gone, and it's that time again! Time for.... 

*For you bloggers who have come on board recently (and, of course, if you've been on board since the start!), I invite you to make your very own List of Ten today! Feel free to use the fun cupcake picture, and link to your post in the comments below!  If you want to read more about the rules for List of Ten Tuesday, click here or here!  But in summary?  There are NO rules.  :)

I was going to go a certain direction with my list this week, but earlier today, as I was digging through my old "memory box" and perusing some of my old writings, I found something that threw a wrench in my whole plan.  

It was THIS poem, written at age 11 (by me):

 
Which reads (and I changed the last name cause I don't need any weirdos looking me up):

"No one will ever like me!"

Said Jenni Doe one day

When my hair finally does look right

For certain it won't stay that way!

My glasses take  up half my face

My pimples own the other space

My bangs do never stay in place

"No one will ever like me!"

One ear is bigger than the other

"You're beautiful!" says lying mother

I know I'm not,

It's clear to spot,

"No one will ever like me!"

BAHHHHhahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!  I was almost in tears when I found this poem.  HuuuuuhhhLARIOUS!!!!  The piece is dated May 23, 1998 - I was eleven, and clearly had some self-image issues. 

But when I really think honestly about it, I realize that me and that 11-year-old girl still have a lot in common. I may have contacts now, the pimples have calmed down considerably, and I've learned to manage my hair and accept my ear situation, BUT, and this is a big but: sometimes I still feel like that same, crazy-insecure girl.  Sure I feel attractive with a full face of makeup, a stylish outfit on, and a miracle-performing push-up bra, but when I'm stripped of all that?  Often all I see are imperfections.  Often all I feel is inadequate.  Even though I'm married (so clearly someone likes me!) and my husband makes it obvious that he adores me, I still sometimes wonder if maybe he compares me to other women whom I'd never measure up to.  But mainly I think it's just me comparing me to them.

And really?  It's ridiculous. 

But unfortunately, us girls are subjected to messages all. day. long. about what beautiful is, about what constitutes perfection, and, subliminally, about how we are inadequate.   

And it's unacceptable.

Certainly, movie stars, models, and entertainers are often beautiful.  They tend to represent society's (current) standard for beauty and perfection, and naturally so.  People are fascinated by beauty, by symmetry, by striking features. 

(Leave it to Victoria's Secret to make us all feel like dogs)

But at the end of the day, you have to be able to realize that what you see on those gorgeous models and perfect movie stars and amazing entertainers is only outward beauty - magnified by a slew of professionals and validated by our collective culture.  In the real world?  A lot more constitutes being truly beautiful - on the outside, sure, but more importantly, on the inside.  And interestingly, inner beauty always translates into outward beauty.  But the reverse is almost never the case. 

So without further adieu, I give you my list. 

Of Ten Ok, Seven Things That Beautiful Is.... 

(and I sure don't claim to have mastered these yet!)

Beautiful Is...

1. A Smile

Smiling may be the single most important thing you can do to be more beautiful.  Not only that, smiling is a way to communicate non-verbally.  It's a way to put people at ease around you, to set a mood, to put forth positive energy into the universe (then watch as it comes back to you in unexpected ways). 

While in high school and college, I supported myself by waiting tables.  I'll never forget one day I was at work and a woman came up to me when she was leaving the restaurant and said "my son (who she had been eating with) thinks your very beautiful, but you should really smile more!" 

I wanted to say she can tell her son to F off cause I smile ALL the time, but I probably just mumbled something like "oh, thanks, I'll work on that."  The truth was that I was just concentrating really hard since we were busy, and I hadn't had much reason to smile during the maybe 45 minutes the woman and her son were there.  But I never forgot what she said.  And I DID make a point to smile more.  You just never know who might be watching you!

So don't be a sour puss.  SMILE!!! 

At the cab driver, at the grocery story clerk, at a random stranger walking past you on the street.  Just smile. :)

Beautiful Is...

2.  Confidence

A confident woman (or man) is 10 times more attractive than one who is not.  The first step to feeling and being beautiful is feeling and being confident.  The only one who needs to be convinced you're beautiful is you.  Once you start acting and feeling the part, the attention you get from your spouse, your friends, even strangers, will astound you!

Please advise: confidence and cockiness are two different things.  Don't be obnoxious.

Beautiful is...

3.  Kindness

In order to be truly beautiful, you must first be kind.

Care about others. 

Show active interest in others. 

Listen. 

Cry with someone. 

Never stop scheming up ways to make others feel happy and special. 

Send text messages or emails for no reason.

Give of yourself. 

Pay compliments to stangers and friends alike. 

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, or if you want to take it a step further, do unto others as THEY would have you do unto to them.  This requires a little more thinking and emotional intelligence.

Beautiful is...

4. Taking Care of Yourself

Notice I didn't say killing yourself at the gym in order to achieve a perfect 10 body and satisfy someone somewhere's ideal for physical fitness. 

Just take care of yourself.  If you feel unhealthy, maybe you are.  Do your best to pinpoint your weaknesses and your unhealthy habits, and then do your best to address them, whatever that means for you. 

Exercise when you can. 

Eat healthy as often as possible (it may always be a struggle).

 Paint your toenails. 

Wear pretty smelling lotion to bed. 

Just take care of yourself.

Beautiful is...

5. Modesty

Yes, modesty. 

Somewhere along the line women must have fallen for the lie that the tighter your clothing and the more skin you show,  the more beautiful you are.  That is simply not the case.  Leave something to the imagination, ladies. 

The way you present yourself is directly proportional to the type of attention you will receive. 

I assure you, there is a happy medium somewhere between burka-wearing and shorts so short we can actually see the bottom of your asscheeks.

Be classy.  It shows pride.

Beautiful is...

6. Education

You don't even have to go to college to be an educated, intelligent individual. 

Read books.

Watch the news.

Learn about cultures other than your own.

Have an open mind.

You don't have to be a geeky academic type to be educated and have a beautiful mind.  Don't be the type whose beauty flies out the window as soon as she opens her mouth.  ;)

 

And finally, beautiful is...

7. Having Character

You don't hear much about "character" anymore.

Other names character goes by?

Integrity, virtue, honor.

Basically, having character involves just being a nice person. 

Don't be a liar.  Don't be fake.  Don't be mean-spirited. Don't be passive aggressive. (women NEVER are, right?)

We ALL make mistakes from time to time, but having character involves owning up to those mistakes and being (wo)man enough to make a wrong situation right.

Anyone want to elaborate on this list?   What do YOU think beautiful is?  What is my list missing?

Have a beautiful Tuesday. :)

J