Monday, April 22, 2013

Beauty Review: Burt's Bees skincare line

YAY!  Beauty product review!

I have been searching for a good, effective skincare line that won't break the bank.  I will rant and rave about Dermalogica.  That line is awesome!  AWESOME!!  As awesome as I think that line is, it's still high up on the bank breaker scale.  A rule of thumb for me, I like to recommend lines like Dermalogica and while I was in school I really liked Elemis (an all natural line).  Problem is, not everyone can drop $32 on facial cleanser alone.  

I like to tell those people that they should do a product/ingredient line up.  Basically, take your favorite cleanser/moisturizer/toner/whatever, and check out the ingredients.  They'll be listed in order from highest concentration to least (i.e. water is the biggest component in the deep cleanising cream, followed by sunflower seed oil and so on until the ingredient with the least amount in the product).  I also like to add that every girl should have a skin care and cosmetics ingredient dictionary.  That little book is AMAZING!  Nothing like knowing whats going onto and into your skin.  Its also a great way to figure out what all those multi-syllable words mean, and what purpose they serve.  Anyways, you'll want to take your empty or dwindling product and start doing a match up.  Find a product that has more or less of the same ingredients in more or less the same order but for a more affordable price.  That was my game plan.  I liked the Elemis line a lot, but with a strict budget, it was out of the question to buy more. 

So while on my hunt, I came across the Burt's Bees skin care line.  I was looking for a line that was all natural, free of parabens, and affordable but still very effective.  Burt's Bees met all those guidelines.  I was skeptical at first so I started small and bought some of the basics (cleanser, exfoliant, and toner) and decided I would go from there.  I bought the Soap Bark and Chamomile deep cleansing cream, the Peach and Willow bark deep pore scrub and lastly the Rosewater toner.  Here's my two cents!!!

Soap Bark & Chamomile deep cleansing cream  $8

First, this isn't a foaming cleanser.  It's thick like a lotion.  Second, the back of the bottle says that its has a "hint of menthol"...whoa.  I like the cleanser.  It smells great and it leaves my face looking great!  The menthol is the only kicker.  It is strong!!  Like, makes your eyes sting.  The menthol does have a great effect though.  It gives the skin one hell of a glow and I love that tingly clean feeling.  All in all, it did what I wanted, but I plan on trying a different cleanser from this line :)


Peach & Willow deep pore scrub  $8
Of the three products I bought, this is my favorite.  The scrub has nice sized chunks of peach stone, which is great for sensitive skin (the more fine the scrub, the more scrubbing it does).  It's not too abrasive and still manages to get all that skin sloughed off.  My favorite ingredient is the bladderwrack extract.  Bladderwrack extract is nourishing, revitalizing, and stimulating to the skin and protects skin against irritation.  Excuse the pun, but this scrub is the bee's knees!


Rosewater Toner  $11
The most expensive of the three (and I use that term loosely).  This was another surprising buy!  It smells amazing.  It's great for sensitive or aged skin.  Toner, for the most part is pretty general.  They all perform the same function.  Sometimes the added extras that get put into them can be irritating to the skin or even overbearing the senses. Its hard to find in stores, so I ordered mine online FYI.  


Okay, so I did enjoy everything I bought.  I've been using these for just over a month and I have seen a wonderful difference in my skin.  It held its own against my more pricey stuff and I plan on buying the lines SPF moisturizer once my old favorite can no longer be scrapped off the sides of the jar.  I have also gotten some great reviews from friends about the lines eye cream.  I'm really eager to try those 2 products and judging by how much I have liked the items I do own, I don't see myself being let down.

Hope you found these reviews helpful!  

Hugs til later!
Domesticated1022 <3

P.S.  I forgot to link the Burt's Bees website so you could check out their full line and read some of the reviews for yourself!  Enjoy!!

http://www.burtsbees.com/natural-products/face-care/




Friday, April 19, 2013

My kids are jerks and that's cuz Karma

Let me be clear, my kids are awesome (most days) and they really are the light of my life.

With that out of the way, let's get real.

After a nice long conversation with a few friends of mine, I've converted them into believers of Kid Karma.  It's a simple concept, and I'll open with an example.  I have 3 brothers, and only one of them is older then me, his name is Alan.  He was my best friend for a loooong time but before that, he was my sworn enemy.  Our battles are always fresh in my mind.  He was the destroyer of Barbies, the beheader of teddies and an all around super douche.  So, on a regular basis, I would steal that bastards toys.  His favorites too.  I would hide them in bushes, in cabinets and on several occasions I would put them somewhere that would get him in trouble.  Payback is a bitch.  Now here's where kid karma has come into play.  My youngest daughter Sonnie is a sweet sensitive girl.  Her feelings are easily hurt and she likes to lash out...by hiding things.  Yesterday, after being scolded by Ben, she took his wallet and hid it.  It took us at least an hour of combined efforts to find it.  On another occasion she hid what can only be described as my right hand, my phone.  This she hid at the bottom of a laundry basket.  Now, I USED TO consider myself a pro when I was a kid, but I have NOTHING on this 5 year old girl.  Nothing.  She is the Albert Einstein of payback hiding.  I give the girl props. 

So, to sum it up, Kid Karma is universal payback for any shenanigans/tomfoolery you may have committed as a kid yourself.  Except worse. My kids are jerks.  I talked with a friend of mind and mentioned the fact that my oldest daughter Jade, lets me get away with nothing.  She is a know it all, and the worst part is, she's actually very bright.  She has an IMPECCABLE memory.  She can visit her grandfathers house in May and in October, point out everything that has moved or changed.  This has been both a blessing and a curse because it's not just with locations, it's with words too.  You tell this girl something, and its stored in the vault.  I have my mothers memory.  If I don't write it down, its gone forever, lost behind doctors appointments, recipes, PTA duties and blah blah blah.  So when I say that we will Go to Michael's to do arts and crafts on Saturday and instead I forget and take the to the farmers market that morning, I will not live it down.  She will without mercy, tell me how I didn't keep my word.  So then the next Saturday, when I do take them Michael's, it's "*sigh* I wonder what they did last weekend.  I bet it was something really cool and that they wont do it again *sigh*"  or "Now, I only have one craft when I could have had two".  Jerk move.  This kind of crap sends me into a full blown rage.  I want to grab her, shake the living shit out of her and yell "I TOOK YOU TO THE DAMN FARMERS MARKET, BOUGHT YOU SHIT THERE AND TOOK YOUR UNGRATEFUL ASS TO TARGET TO BUY A TOY YOU DON'T EVEN DESERVE...YA JERK!".  But, I can't/won't.  I calmly remind her that she had fun last weekend and didn't even remember about Michael's until the end of the day and that I'll be more than happy to take away everything I got her last week if she doesn't show some appreciation for it.  This is usually enough of a wake up call for her to get her shit together and drop it.  This again, is my karmic payback.  My brothers and I would spend hours ripping into my mom behind her back about any broken promise (big or small and if you know my youngest brother, ask him about Flipper).  It was never to her face, because she scared the living hell out of us and was an avid ass whooper.  AVID.  Now the universe has seen fit to provide me with a little me, only more ballsy.  Because she does it to my face and with zero finesse. Ben and I don't spank unless the situation calls for it after several warning and punishments, and only as a last resort.  Once hand hits bottom, the offense is usually never committed again.  I'm a fan of the actions speak louder then words.

Right now, as I type this, the kids are in their room wearing Ben and mines shoes and mocking us.  Sonnie is me and she has said the following:
  • I need a nap
  • YOU TWO STOP ARGUING!!!
  • WHOSE TOWEL IS THIS!!
  • PUT YOUR SHOES IN THE FRONT CLOSET!!
  • This baby is killing me! (I'm 8 months pregnant and the baby is one hell of a kicker).


Jade is Ben and she has said:
  • I work too much (this is true but my husband is not the kind of guy who could ever be retired or even on vacation too long)
  • I'm going skateboarding
  • BABE!  WHERE'S MY TOWEL!!
  • DON'T MAKE ME COME IN THERE YOU TWO!
  • (Fart noises) *my personal favorite* 
Jerks.  Both of them.
They aren't always this annoying.  They are very sweet.  Yesterday, after what was my worst case of vomiting ever (and this includes hangovers!), Sonnie brought me a cup of water and a not that read "This is bad :(" and left it outside the bathroom door.  That was unprompted and incredibly sweet.  Jade often looks out for Sonnie and if Sonnie misses school Jade always runs to her first and says how much she missed her at school today.  The love we feel for one another is always clear.  I love you is peppered throughout the day between all of us for no reason other than we mean it.  We regularly get told from friends how sweet and well behaved or well mannered they are.  We beam with pride.  

Is this the way that kids are?  I'm due to have our first boy in 50 days (GULP!!) and I cant wait to no longer be the reason behind the all the general naughtiness.  My husband and his brothers were a handful to put it mildly.  Is the snarkiness I'm faced with just one of the things I have to deal with because I have daughters?  Or is it Kid Karma?  Do the kids in your life test you like no other?  Is your kid, the living embodiment of all your childhood wrong doings?  Mine sure as hell are :)

Hugs til later,
Domesticated1022

Don't be fooled by these two.  They're trouble in ponytails.


My First Beauty Products Review!!

Hello Hello!

So I'm adding my first beauty product review.  I've mentioned before I'm no beauty guru, but I do know what I like and what my tight purse string will buckle for.  Now, for the record, my previous description of make-up was neutral eye shadow and lip gloss...not lipstick...lip gloss.  I considered myself low maintenance.  Hubster adored this.  Easy Peasy and leaving the house wasn't some waiting game.  He took some adjusting to my new beauty schedule.  It's not too crazy, but it fits my life perfectly.  I started wearing make up only after learning what it was for.  I was 25 and had NO idea what the hell foundation was used for, and I was dumbfounded to hear that eyeshadow needed primer.  Say what?? Balls!  I was in over my head!  I'm pretty sure on more then one occasion Hubster heard me yell "F*ck make-up!  I'm too smart for this shit!" while chuckling quietly to himself.  I'm a patient woman for only one thing, and thats my kids.  If I'm learning something and don't get it right off the bat, my ego takes a hit and I get all primative.  I'm a brainiac damn it.  Only thing I anticipate struggling with is math, and make up ain't math.  Years of tomboying put me waaay behind the curve.  But if anything, I'm a persistant S.O.B. and I don't take too kindly to feeling dumb.  My crowning achievement so far has been putting eyeliner on my waterline and not crying it off.  It's the little things people!  

Im sure most of you are light years ahead of me, so feel free to offer your tips below.  Im going to give you a brief list of what are my favs and why.  I have come to these conculsions after A LOT of testing different brands.  Let's begin yeah?

FACE!

Foundation: Maybelline FITme!      Price: $6-$7
I whip out this bad boy only when I want to remind hubsters family that I am indeed in his league.  I've heard for one particular in law that they weren't sure why Ben was with me.  I couldnt exactly yell "Because I have HUGE boobs" but, if the best revenge is to prove people wrong, I'm hell bent on serving this in-law a face full of crow.  So, after testing several it boiled down to Cover Girl and Maybelline FITme!.  Both shades were great fits.  But what made the winner was the smell.  Cover Girl had a strong smell of cloves, and sure enough in the ingredients, there it was.  Clove.  I have nothing against clove...when its on my ham or in my rice pudding.  Hubster could smell it on me, and when youre wearing scented lotion, and hair products, the last thing you need is one more scent piled on.  I also found that my skin doesnt break out as much if any with the Maybelline.  

Under eye Concealer: Garnier Skin Renew       Price: $9-$11
I LOOOVE this product!  It goes from liquid to powder feeling quickly and it doesnt collect in the creases above or below my eye lids.  Its got caffiene in it, and it really does perk up the skin for sunken in eyes.  I have struggled with sleep for almost 14 years.  I can function, effectively under 4 hours of it.  But it reflects in my eyes, or rather, under them.  Its all very Walking Dead.  The Skin Renew is light, and brightens my eyes.  It comes in  just one shade, that I could find anyways.  But concealer should always be a little lighter than your skin so that your eyes pop.  (Isn't that a weird visual??).  The price might seem high for such a small bottle, but I've had it for almost a year and i'm not out yet.  Also the bottle says to roll it under eyes...DON'T...that is WAY too much.  Apply to your ring finger and gently dab onto under eyes.  I also use this on the upper lid for a more even look.

Eyelid Primer: E.L.F. Eyelid Primer      Price: $3
Seriously?!  $3?  YES!  And its great!  It goes on a sheer shimmer and my eyeshadow will go all day (WITHOUT CREASING!).  Now, I will preach all day about Urband Decays Eye Primer because that stuff is the mac freaking daddy of eyelid primer.  But at $22 a bottle, it gets whipped out for nights I want a free drink or I want to feel young and make out with Hubster in the car while in the drive way (ahh, those care free days lol).  But for my everyday "cant be seen at Target/Publix/kids school looking how I feel" look, ELF provides a cheap and effective alternative.  

Nude Eye Shadow: Urban Decay Naked Basics       Price:$22
Ok, so for 6 shades, that is a bit much.  BUT, (and its a big but) you will NOT be disappointed.  They have amazing pigment meaning you get what you see when you apply the color.  There is NO need to add another layer to get the color to show (especially if you use primer).  For any of my vegan friends or friends who worry about cruelty in testing, Urban Decay has a TON of vegan friendly shadows and is cruelty free.  This is one of those instances where you really do get what you pay for.  

Color Eye Shadow: Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box      Price:$19 (on sale from $38)
I KNOW!!!!  I am supposed to be cheap!  But this is make-up heaven.  AND ITS ON SALE!!    It has 9 beautiful colors that blend extremely well together and really does give you that va-va-voom.  The regular price is steep, but ALWAYS order from the website.  They have killer deals and sales that you won't be able to take advantage of in any store.  Plus you can sign up for their emails and recieve sales codes.  See, I have a savers mentality, you just gotta let me get there :)  I have tried SOOOOO many brands and they all look pretty in the palette.  They all whisper "Use me, I'll get you a free frappachino".  NO THEY WON'T!  LIES!!  They'll get you about as far as application and then BAM!  Disappointment City, Population: You.  ELF really failed me here.  I was really let down by the lack of pigment once on the eye.  I definitely wasn't causing any boners from my eye make-up those nights.  Spend the money.  You and the hunk barista will be glad you did.


This, is where I will leave you.  I REALLY wanted to  include lips, but I, Crystal, am a stain-a-holic.  I freaking loooove lip stains.  So that will get a post on its own.  I own over 16 different brands of lipstains.  It is a serious problem.  So, as I type good night, please let me know what products you cant live without.  Let me know if you disagree with any of my top choices and why.  Damn, just talk to me!

Hugs til later!

Crystal


PS!  Heres the website for Urban Decay, seriously give them a peek, read the reviews and treat yourself to something nice.  You have a bloggers permission :)
www.urbandecay.com

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Well, I NEVER did that and other crap you don't want to hear.

Hey Chickadees!

How do you deal with over-bearing parents or in-laws?  

I am ever so fortunate to have a set of both.  My Mom, and the Hubster's Mom.  I'm fairly certain that I was, in some past life, an actual piece of shit.  A pooplet of some sort.  Its the only explanation I have for the curse/blessing that is a case of the meddlers.  My mother is a pro-spanking, swearing free spirit.  Hubster's mom is anti-spanking, "don't say shut up" country gal.  So basically, in someones book, I ain't doing it right.

For the record, we don't spank, we do say shut up (which is almost always followed by "and do as I say"), and prior to living with my mother in-law (what a fresh hell that is!) a cable free family.  We encourage LOTS of family time, being outdoors and promote reading and education.  Neither the Hubster nor I were raised in such homes.  Whatever, we turned out to not be hair collecting weirdos or murderers, so I say something somewhere was done at least half right.  

But, how do you tell The Meddler(s) to back off without being the child/wife/person they will eternally hate.  I see where they're coming from.  They both raised X amount of kids, who as of this day are still breathing, so this MUST entitle them to more than their fair share (getting all Seuss on ya!) of two cents.  I constantly get asked if I gave my youngest daughter her daily asthma medicine. HOLY CRAP!!  I TOTALLY FORGOT TO GIVE HER SOMETHING THAT LITERALLY KEEPS HER OUT OF THE HOSPITAL!  Thank God for you, Medicine Angel.  Or if I helped my kids do their homework.  Nope. Plum forgot to re-enforce our strict "education is key" motto.  

Lets suppose you have model parents, and you do in fact aim to be like them.  Do you ever feel as though they are over stepping boundaries or double checking to make sure you're doing it right?  

Parenting is hard is hell.  I really try not to pass judgement on others when it comes to raising kids.  I'm no saint about it, but I try.  We have all seen that tiny, sticky lunatic at some store that's driving his poor parent right into the loony bin.  Or we have all seen a parent with some serious "I'm gonna whoop your ass the second the security cameras and customers cant see the hell I'm about to unleash" face. We stand there and wonder where they went wrong. Probably nowhere. Some kids are, well, just assholes. So I try to keep that in mind when I see it. I don't feel bad about thinking it either. Some of you may say that's a messed up thing to say and I'm sure you're right, but that doesn't make me wrong does it??  My point is that sometimes a helpful hint from another parent is a breath of fresh air and sometimes its a face full of farts.  You can just do without it.  I welcome SOME advice from Mom and Mom of Hubster.  But what I don't need is to feel inadequate.  I beat myself up enough as it is.



How do you give Meddlers a firm hint that you got dis?

What/Who drives you the craziest?

Does it seem well intentioned or just flat out mean?

I'd love to hear from you :)


Hugs til later,
Domesticated1022

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Allow me to introduce myself!

Hello Hello,

I'm Domesticated (in more ways than one).  I've been this way for almost a decade.  Got to admit, I think I'm pretty cut out for it.  I am in charge of two minions, soon to be three, and one Hubster.  I've worked off and on since getting married and becoming a mother, spending all those working hours for the now one-foot-in-the-grave Blockbuster (Hubster and I are royally obsessed with movies and this job fed an addiction more than it did anything else haha) and being a receptionist.  I'm currently a licensed Facial Specialist.  THIS I LOVE!  I love all things skin care, makeup and nail polish.  I found my other niche in this career field.  Enough about me. 


Now, let's get down to the basics of this blog :)

Let's just say that I will be ALL over the place when it comes to topics.  I'll be discussing beauty product reviews, pop culture (in brief because I don't subscribe to cable, more on that in later posts), motherhood, family, cooking, life and how to make it easier and other crap.  I'm a member of Influenster, which is this awesome site that sends you free full sized samples of products in exchange for reviewing the products and conducting brief surveys.  The added bonus is that joining is free (but you have to be invited) and that the surveys you fill out are brief and you can choose which surveys you'd like to do based on your lifestyle.  Because I'm a member, I'll sometimes do reviews of products on here if I qualify to receive a VoxBox (free goodies).  I promise to be honest in y reviews :)  I've included a link down below in case you're curious!Also, I should mention that I cuss...a lot.  Hubster is a former sailor and has a mild case of red neck.  Both of those things make him a cusser, and in turn, me a cusser.  It's true when they say that after a while couples pick up each other habits.  I'll get on my high horse about somethings but only after presenting both sides of any argument.  

So, until next time, keep checking in :)

Hugs 'til later
Domesticated1022 <3



www.influenster.com