Satisfaction Because Rome Wasn't Built in a Day.

Satisfaction comes in many forms. It may present itself in getting a promotion, seeing a child excel at sports, or maybe by eating a luscious chocolate bar. I; however, have achieved satisfaction in my day and for me, that is enough.

It all started with my morning routine. I was proud that I was able to do what I hoped for myself for the day in every day. Brush, whiten, cleanse, moisturize, straighten, make-up, brush - just how I hoped for; I knew I could will myself to. I did my makeup today in my most favorite way. Being a makeup artist, I have so many options, colors, mattes. But my favorite for my eye shape and face shape is a silver and black smokey eye with vintage line and dramatic falsies - I use 105 Black from Walmart. I have bought Snooki lashes, which are BEAUTIFUL! however, when I lose one or overuse them I cry because of their price! But they are awesome to invest in at least one pair! However, for casual use - the Walmart ones are literally less than that fast food meal that you don't need anyways!


The straightener I use is absolutely by far the greatest straightener that I have ever had the privilege of using. My sister even went and bought one just like it, because she has found no greater. It is a Paul Mitchell and I'm seriously in love. I bought it in - get this December of 2008 and it is still here. (knock on wood) I would be so lost without it and I plan to buy Paul Mitchell

for years to come! I highly recommend it!

So this is the end result of my day of beauty. I went like this to my sister, Bobbi's cooking expo at her high school. She did wonderfully; proud mama! Afterwards I took some time and snapped a few landscape photographs. The way that the sky looked was too irresistible!
I did achieve satisfaction today. I had goals and I met most of them. I know something I do need to work on is being able to go to bed before the wee hours of the night. I work at night on the multiple projects I am involved with as well as blogging for you fine people. It is something I love and enjoy. My future hubby is playing games after a very long night at work, why not stay up and enjoy the night owl syndrome as well. I think I do need a day to relax. Do some crafting, hang with my bestie via Skype (since she is 500 miles away), watch some movies, & cook some amazing & healthy recipes.

I believe that is what my day tomorrow will look like after my appointment. I have an appointment with my neurologist and pain management specialist for my Trigeminal Neuralgia. It is the most painful thing in the world and she is the only person I trust to help me with it, so wish me luck!
Just remember to set daily goals for yourself. Nothing to outrageous! Cliche of the night: Rome wasn't built in a day!

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© Photography by Alison

Every Woman Deserves to Feel Beautiful.

I have been so low maintenance lately with my hair, makeup, and just daily up-keep of a high maintenance woman. Ponytails, bangs pinned-up and out of the way, no nails done, no moisturizer on my face, no teeth whitening, lots of sweatpants and zip-up hoodies, four days a week with no makeup; all these an example of my daily life since I was diagnosed, but also since my lazy winter days ensued.
However, I feel spring coming around the bend. It is right on the horizon, whether a month or more, I still need to be ready.

 So today I took a step towards regaining my sense of beauty, because every woman deserves to feel beautiful. For me, I feel beauty most when I am at my most primp and proper. I have decided to be very conscious of my daily beauty routine and to simple stop rushing! Take the time to pluck those extra eyebrow hairs or use the extra whitening mouthwash to get those pearly whites to be...well, pearly.

For my preliminary beauty ritual begin with dying my hair. I don't believe in venturing to a salon with my Rapunzel-length hair and having them charge upwards of $150 to dye my hair. Being that my mother was a hair dresser - in the 80s, but a hairdresser nonetheless - I feel confident in my ability to perform self-dying at home. I have since I was in fifth grade when I thought highlights would make all those little bitches stop making fun of me so I would fit in. So much more fabulous and classy now than most of them could imagine - no harm done. Anyways...I used a new dye this time; Revlon Luxurious ColorSilk, the blue black - two boxes of course! It worked phenomenally, I tell ya. Softer, smells better, burns a bit less than any dye out there and it was only $4 a box, making my hair makeover an $8 debacle. The color turned out near exact to the model on the box; even though they tell you not to go by that - with this color I say exact my friends. So now that my hair is where I want it to be, with the length a beautiful lower back brushing. My hair really is one of my favorite things about myself so I take pride in it. Any techniques, styles, or tips that I can cover to help out please leave it in the comments.

My favorite products

Something I did tonight after taking my makeup off that I haven't done in awhile was use facial moisturizer. I have this amazing moisturizer called Neutrogena Naturals. I purchased this particular moisturizer when I was going through radiation. I needed something that was clean, natural, no perfumes or paraffin, and this really stood out for me.  It smells magnificent, isn't greasy or sticky, and leaves my face soft as can be. I really want to be able to get in the habit of daily use. Something I know must be done first is to wash my makeup off every single night. This is something I am absolutely terrible for. There are times where I only wash it off when I shower at night and I don't always do that at night or every night for that matter. (Oh, come on! You can't say you shower and wash that pretty little head of yours every single night! Don't judge me:) So yet another beauty method in which I can't wait to adapt back into just a simple habit.

My next feat of beauty is to brush my teeth at least three times a day. I know some people would be thinking gross I have adapted that habit since I was three. Well, morning and bedtime were the only times I was trained to brush as a child, so that is what I usually do. Any other times of the day just wasn't impressed upon me from a young age. What I would like to do is to brush my teeth after each meal or snack even. No, I don't mean six times a day, but I think that it will help with my diet too. Who wants to eat something after having a fresh mouth? So oral hygiene is definitely something I want to improve upon in the coming weeks. I thought about photographing my teeth for shade differences. I used to use my Crest 3D White mouthwash, a whitening stick or strips, etc in the past on a regular basis and I hope to get back to that as well. I think seeing the difference actually happening will spark that behavior to become more of a habit than a chore. 

My goal for tomorrow is to wake-up before 11, work out, straighten my hair, do makeup, eat well (small meals throughout the day & only water and milk), brush teeth three times, wash & moisturize my face, paint my nails (another coat because I did only one tonight), and cook for the week. With that being said, I need to go plan my meals for the week so that I can obtain a 1300 calorie max while still feel full and healthy.