Decorating outdoors cause its fun!

We have an amazing view from our back deck of the area that we live in. I am pretty sure that is what convinced the man to actually purchase the house. Mind you, I love the view and with the recent rain I did miss sitting outside and having my AM coffee out there.

But the rain cleared up for now, which means its time to clean up and decorate ever so slightly.

I have a thing with lights and candles. There is pretty much a candle in almost every single room here in the house and I have some form of string lights in every room (minus the den..which is the man cave...but I assume one day I will find the perfect something for it and it too will be apart of the club).

So since I got the inside all set, I have been slowing working on the outside. Adding Solar lights single stakes here and there in the driveway to make it easier to see going up or down at night.

I figured it was time to work on the deck, since we have only a flood light and two tiki torches

Day View

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073GL5Q9T

If you look close in the picture you can see a string of lights wrapped around the deck. I did only get one set of them, as I first wanted to see if they would go well with our view.

Night View

As you can see, both the lights of my city as well as the lights now string along the deck perfectly. They add just enough little bit of light to make it feel homey and just enough light to see my pet Teddy, hanging out by my chair.

What is even better about these lights, just like my Solar Stakes..these are Solar powered which means I wont have to worry about finding or replacing batteries to keep them going. THANK GOODNESS.

Now if we could just get Solar on our house...we would be set! 

Magnetic Lashes...Yay or Nay

Can you tell? I have falsies on? Now wait...they are halfies and they are MAGNETIC!!!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07588QBDR

I love the way false lashes finish a look, and make the eyes really pop. Especially when they are styled cat eye, shorter towards the front and longer towards the end. 

My biggest issue with wearing falsies is lash glue. I dont mind using Lash glue...the issue is the removal of the lashes and the residue that is on the last line. I have used oil based make up remover products, eye make up remover and I still have to work on trying to figure out how to get the glue off. 

Hence why I was very interested in trying out Magnetic  Lashes. Though they are pretty controversial in the make up community, and its the application of why it is problematic.

The first time I tried them on, was a failed attempt at a Get Ready With Me for my make up channel on YouTube, the file was corrupted. So I will have to film one and show how I apply them.

But let me share some selfies in different lighting so you can see how the lashes look 

Natural Light by Window

Natural Lighting at Window Sill

Natural Light outside

Since then I have worn them again and it looked at lot better and took me less time to get them on. Hence the pic from the beginning of this blog post.

I will have a final review of the lashes within the next upcoming week, because I am going to continue to practice with them and see what someone who is actually paying attention to my make up thinks. 

Daily Dose for 2018

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0749CCRXM

It is my goal for 2018 to get healthy again, if you have been following me, you would know that starting January 2016 to about May 2016, I lost 25 pounds. Going from 210 lbs to 183 lb at my lightest weight, which was amazing. I felt strong, healthy and my actual Resting Heart Rate, besides cholesterol rates were amazing. I attribute alot of my weight loss was using my Fit Bit HR and inputting my daily food intake into the journal it has, besides my work out of yoga and running at the gym. But as it goes, life happened..a new relationship and being happy I gain about 20 lbs of it back. 

So I am starting at 200 lbs as of 2018..ugh I know! 

My goal this year will be to get healthy again, the difference is in body, spirit and mind! 

With body, I do plan on calorie counting again and inputting my food journal with Fit Bit as well as adding my vitamin routine completely into effect. 

The picture above includes what vitamins I will be taking:

NOW Magnesium Citrate 

Nature Made Multi Complex (multi vitamin)

Zone 365 Cranberry Concentrate 

Zone 365 B Complex including B-12

Premium Health Chewable Papaya Enzyme 

Nature's Bounty Hair, Skin, Nails

So here is to a New Me, the Best Version of Myself 

Crystals that I am loving

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076CZT3ZS

 KISSPAT Choker Necklace Clear Quartz Crystal Pendant

If you didn't realize it, but you regularly watch my youtube videos you will see me wearing some type of Crystal, or semi precious stone. I believe I have done a video explaining the jewelry I wear most often. However I have a recent addition at the tail end of 2017 and I am super thrilled with it.

Did you know:

Quartz is a silicon dioxide mineral with a hardness of 7. Its crystal system is hexagonal which grows in a large variety of formations. It is one of the most abundant minerals, found on every continent of the Earth, though much of the quartz available comes from Arkansas, Brazil and Madagascar. Crystal Quartz exhibits the property of piezoelectricity, by which it can transform mechanical energy (eg pressure) into electromagnetic energy and vice versa.

Spiritual Meaning behind it:

Clear Quartz encourages clarity of thought and purpose to one’s heart and mind. It works on all levels of the energetic and physical bodies and resonates with all chakras. Clear Quartz will amplify any energy with which it moves into resonance, including other stones, constantly broadcasting that energy into the Earths electromagnetic field. This makes Clear Quartz an excellent stone to use for healing, manifestation or prayer work. Clear Quartz helps to establish a strong, clear connection to higher guidance.

Overall, the piece itself is beautiful black cloth with gold besides the crystal itself. 

It is fashionable for 2018 but still keeps with the hippie, crystal lover in me!

Unboxing Laila London

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075WDJVYN

One of my favorite videos to film are unboxing videos, so it was only appropriate that I received a beauty box from Lalia London, which is a homemade 100% natural skin care beauty box.

The Box included a small tote with the companies emblem, which is great because it is just the right size for traveling with my skincare products when I am visiting family (and spending the night).

This included the following:

Rose Coconut Lip Butter

Pink Clay Mask with Rice Enzyme

Make Up Brush to use for application of Face Mask

Replenishing Midnight Facial Oil

I personally loved the additional touches of the keeping within the color scheme of the pink ribbon and the pink stuffing that the products were well packaged in. Each and every product was wrapped in bubble wrap, as to not get damaged in the transportation of it to my home (the bubble wrap not pictured). It makes it really a great item to get for family or friends and shipped directly to them.

I cant wait to dive into the products, especially with the end goal of trying to be cruelty free from 2020 within my make up collection and skincare. So if you have a special family member, neighbor, friend or fellow makeup skincare junkie that is Cruelty Free, Animal friendly they would definitely like this box!

Keeping Organized while on the Go

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0747NZT9X

I have really come to love the INNX products when it comes to keeping my car organized and clean. I have used their seat covers and cargo liners, their cargo nets, a pet barrier between my front seats to block the space from kids or critters. And today I put in a backseat organizer in the back. I have it hanging over the back seat  SUV, since the back seats typically lay flat and we use the space for cargo instead. 

It is thick canvas like material that is strong and durable. It wipes clean easily in case it gets dirty, which happens a lot in my car. It has clasps and straps to allow you to hang it around the headrests in your car. You can adjust them so they hang right. There are additional straps for helping to secure it and keep it in place, but I am not using those. I simply have it hanging around my headrests right now and it works great.

I am loving having it in the 4Runner now and it is working wonderfully for me. It is nearly impossible to access from the back of the car when I open the back up, requiring me to crawl in and reach things hanging there. But it is perfect for easily reaching over the seat when sitting inside or having the side doors open. I love having the extra storage space to stick the baby wipes and barf bags I always carry when we go anywhere!

The answer to truck clutter. No more boxes of car supplies sliding from side to side in the trunk of the truck. This Seat Back Storage Organizer will keep everything organized and neat.

Taking care of my fur baby

Teddy the Black Lab Huskie Mix

I love my fur baby and as beautiful as he is, trying to keep his fur at bay..both clean and tangled free can be an issue. Most of the year, as being in So Cal (weather is nice) he is mostly shaved down or trimmed down so that we dont have to deal with his fur. However, in the winter we let his coat grow out and as nice and warm as he is, he leaves hair everywhere! 

Thus, we made the decision to add a new Brush into his grooming routine at home. 

Parateck® Dogs Grooming Brush

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01COE7OWQ

The wonderful combo of a glove and a brush, easy to use that even a child could do it. Yes I will baby sit your child, will he/she pet and brush my dog? 

Teddy is a bit nervous originally when we made the switch, but as time has gone along he has gotten use to it. I personally recommend this verses a handled brush, especially if your pet is a little more skittish or sensitive to being brushes. 

If your dog cringes every time you get out the brush then this mitt you wear on your hand is sure to calm and soothe them because it feels a lot like they are getting petted and babied by you. This mitt has metal pins that get rid of shedding. At the great price, you might want to keep two around. The back of the glove is mesh which allows for good air flow while you are grooming. Some pet owners use this mitt to help massage in shampoos and conditioners for better effectiveness.