Smoke & Mirrors

Well, Hello everyone!!!

Last weekend I wrote a huge big post about what was about to happen this weekend and just as I was about to hit save and publish, my laptop crashed and I lost it all. I was NOT a happy camper to say the least- so I'm going to attempt to re-create it in a more condensed (maybe) version.

So for the past 7 months, when I hit my last weight loss goal, I've been working on THIS weekend.
I promised myself on the last weekend of January I was going to transform myself. I was going to get to my NEXT weight-loss goal (still 3.5 lbs away from that but the show must go on regardless- a promise is a promise, am I right???!!),  I was going to change my hairstyle, I was going to have a whole new wardrobe, and I was going to start wearing makeup again. I modeled a bit in my teens but when I got married and started having babies, the make-up was the first thing to go when time and money started getting tight. But no more. Daily from now on.

As I was saying....Over the past 7 months I've been buying a new article of clothing-(mostly tops because I can wear them with my basics of trousers and capri pants and skirts). I buy an average of one new piece every couple of weeks. I deserve it. I'm buying the things in the size I am now- but I have a sewing machine and I'm making sure it's clothing that I can easily alter to fit me as I continue to lose more weight.
For the past 10 years I've worn mostly black. I lost my daddy and just as I was coming out of mourning clothes for him a couple of years later, I lost my son, Clay. I was back in the mourning colors again and there I have been until just recently. My new clothes have a pop of color to them.... I'm still buying a few things in black-(Never goes out of style and looks so elegant)- and in black and white prints, but I have quite a bit of bright reds and blues now too. Tans and rusts are in there and I also bought one top that is a cream with pale blue and lavender floral print- sort of orchid or lily ish...... I also have a couple of pinks...- and I FINALLY- after months of searching- found a beautiful classic sleeveless chiffon cream pussycat bow blouse that I LOVE!!!!!
I also bought two new pairs of slacks for work and two blazers....one the classic length- and one a longer more "cover my derriere" completely length one that will be perfect for wearing with leggings and  such.
I have a Military brass button style dress that I will wear as a tunic top instead(it's too sort for a dress for my taste and style)...... and I have two classic LBDs., only one is a LBD with a white panel in the front.  Love them both!!! And for those special nights out on the town I have a Red BodyCon dress with red trim that is certainly SMOKING HOT.

But enough about the clothes.

I've decided to go into business of Cosmetics. I'm now a presenter for the Younique line of cosmetics. I went thru my makeup last weekend and got rid of the outdated stuff and went back to a couple of basics with my new presenters kit. The kit now holds samples of all the products- and this is what my personal make-up case looks like now..... it used to be two cases like this FULL....

Presenters Kit......

  If you are interested in learning more, send me a message and I'll get back with you.

Anyway, so usually I look like this......

That's me in the office.

 And yesterday I went to my salon looking like this......

Oh, the damage I did to my skin lying in the sun when I was a teen!!!! My neck and chest caught the worst of it...I fell asleep sunbathing one day while my parents were at my grandparents house for the day and when I woke up it was almost dark and I was burnt. And when I say burnt- I mean I had blisters...that bled. Sun Poisoning. I'm lucky I don't have scars from that lapse of good sense, but it's bad enough as it is and no amount of skin care or creams and lotions will help it now. Lesson Learned.
This is the hairstyle I was going for.....

 ...but after trimming off all the damaged hair, my fringe(bangs) wasn't nearly long enough- and actually were way too short for my liking as you will see, but it's okay- she cut it into the style I wanted anyway and after the perm wave softens a couple of weeks and  my hair grows out a couple of months it will be more like what I envisioned. and I quite liked the result anyway.....

Very Hollywood......

See? Bangs not nearly long enough for the proper quiff, but it will get there....

Now after a while the bangs really started bugging me- so I grabbed my Alice Band and pulled them back- smoothed a bit of the curl down, put on my full makeup- and this is the result!!!

I LOVE IT!

All I need now is a wiggle dress or two- but that will be my reward for my NEXT weight loss goal!!! And I'm thinking I'm getting a jump start on that too since I'm doing the Sugar-Free February Challenge...shortest month of the year, yes...but it's also Valentines Day AND my birthday month, too!!! So maybe instead of chocolates maybe I'll get flowers this year???????

So what do you think?  It's all smoke and mirrors anyway. I'm still me under all that change.

Testing the Theory......Results.

Well, Let's just say that my little experiment went better than expected.

Specifically, Michael, the numbers jumped from around 120 to over 600 a day.

In other news....

My Makeover is underway.
I have my new makeup- I Have my new wardrobe......I'm on my weightloss plan.... and I go Saturday for my new hairstyle. Kicking it old school this time...The first time I went for the sleek angled bob- The last time I went for the Deb Harry/Blondie look....... this time the hairstyle I'm aiming for....some semblance of it, anyway, is a bit more polished...a bit more vintage.



I consider her the most beautiful movie star ever.

So Feb 4th I'm changing everything. Hair, make-up, wardrobe. attitude.

I want it all- and I'm going to go out and get it!!!

Smoking Hot...Younique Product Review + Bits & Bobs!!!

Well, Happy 2016!!!!

I'm testing a theory. Mr. D- you will know what I'm talking about.
Also, today's post is going to be a bit varied.....You will see what I mean.
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 So this past year we've been saving for a house......only it hasn't quite worked out that way.
What's happened is- we've saved, then something comes along that's more immediately important and we use most of the money we've saved on the "Emergency of the Month".

Also, We aren't completely blameless either. Paul likes gadgets  and games, and I like books and music....and clothes and recently makeup, so I spend almost as much as he does on his G&G. We've bought a bigger TV, a gaming desktop for Paul, a gaming laptop for me, two new headsets, plus a new phone for me when mine gave up the ghost last year. Then, there was auto insurance, and taxes and the MOT and the list just goes on and on. Some we have in our budget, but many were not. Yes it was our Birthday and Christmas gifts to each other too...but still.

I sat and thought about it the other day and I can easily say I've spent close to a thousand GBP(about $1500USD) on the things I've bought in the past year. I think Paul either matches or slightly exceeds that amount.
I've decided to make more economical decisions this year, and put that money aside in my own way....so it doesn't show UP in the bank account.
Yes, I'm putting the money under my mattress. Like Granny did in the old days.

No- Not really. But it won't be showing up in our bank account. you don't miss what you don't see, am I right? So far, this month, I've already put aside almost £75. On my own. And it hasn't hurt a bit!!!

I've also thought about getting a second job.....something I can do at home and work when it's convenient for me..... possibly online- and put that money completely aside for our house. I've made steps toward this already. Last month I sent off for a presenters kit for a cosmetics company called Younique. I wasn't totally committed to it- I wanted to use their products a while before I made that commitment. I'm not a good liar and if I don't like a product there is no way I could sell it to anyone saying it was fabulous. That's just not me.

So I got my kit....have been using the cosmetics a while now and decided to do a quick review of the products here. Someday I may actually be Smoking Hot again....if not- I'm hoping my bank account will be to make up for it.

Younique Product Review: (Remember- this is how they worked for ME and my skin type and colouring. My GFs have tried the very same products and got different results, but these are MY findings on the products for me.- If you want to order and try these lovely products, then send me a message and we will get you started on your own regime!!!)

Ratings: 1-10+ Hearts

Let's start out with a Thriller!!!! The Glorious Face and Eye primer. OMG- I cannot say how much I loved this product!!! It made all the difference in the world to my makeup routine thruout the day. My makeup needed less maintenance time during my day. It made my skin feel......well, GLORIOUS!!!!!
Glorious Face and Eye Primer gets 10+ Hearts!!

I LOVE the Organza foundation, too-It's medium coverage..It covers flaws well, but it doesn't feel all thick and smothering like most good coverage makeups do. So a defo WIN there!! (Sorry, no photo as it was a tiny sample from the kit.)
I also used the Sunset Bronzer, Sweet Blusher, and Beautiful/Sexy/Confident combo eye-shadows. Also samples from the kit(so again, no photos) and they performed exactly the same as the creme Tenacious shadow did...flawlessly. No creasing for me, so a win as I didn't have to keep checking my makeup 30 times a day while I was in the office. (Such a TIME waster!!!-My productivity has increased at least 20% this week as a result of it!!! Win/Win!! Maybe I should get a corporate sponsor on that basis alone!!!??? Hahaha)
Organza Foundation, Sunset Bronzer, Sweet Blusher, and Beautiful/Sexy/Confident combo eye shadows all get 10 Hearts!!!

3D Lash Set...... It's not falsies Ladies- it's a Mascara Primer and Mascara. They look like falsies tho!!!  
Having said that, I LOVE the primer for the lashes- but the actual mascara I'm still in debate about. It definitely makes your lashes thicker and longer, but it has been clumpy for me and no matter how much I try to keep them separated- putting it on full brush, or single lash at a time and even dry brushing them after they set it's still feeling  like wearing a solid piece of felt on my lashes...too heavy and not flattering for me- but I like a more natural look and not as much volume and GLAM as most girly-girls. 
However, at my wits end, I finally tried the primer mascara with MY Rimmell Extra Super Lash mascara and it was PERFECT for me.!!!!!! Something I hadn't been able to achieve with my RESL alone, was absolutely Spot On FAB-U-LUST(my made up word) with the 3D primer -Natural looking but with the fab length I wanted!!  I wonder if we sell the primer on it's own? It's a question I will have to ask the senior presenters and consultants about for us.
Again, it( The actual 3D mascara irritated my eyes for the first couple of minutes a TINY bit but I have EXTREMELY sensitive eyes and I can't blame that on the product. After a couple of minutes I was fine with no other problems sensitivity-wise.
 
  The 3D Lashes get 7 Hearts!!! BUT- If I was a Glam-Girl who was after the length AND volume, I'd give at a 10+ -no questions asked!!!

I used the Eyeliner pencil called Perfect ....and it was. Went on silky smooth and stayed. I'm horrible at Tight-lining, but I did a fab job of it even with my bad eyesight... and afterwards for the evening I just smudged it a bit except for the wings and smoked it up a bit and it STILL looked good after all day at the office. (No Photo...it's a Eyeliner Pencil and I'm pretty sure you've seen them before.)
  The Perfect Eyeliner gets 10+ Hearts!!! 

  The cream eye shadow- FABBBBBBBBB!!!!!!!! It's soft and silky and it didn't crease like mine usually does. The cream I got is called Tenacious. Sort of a bronzy-goldish. No sensitivity to it at all....and would be perfect for a night on the town!!!
 
Tenacious Cream Eye Shadow gets 10 Hearts!!!

The Powder eye shadows were also fab!!! I think the primer just made all the difference in the world to how well they performed!!

The Addictions Powder eyes shadows get 7 Hearts!!!

The lipstick I got is called Upscale.

On me the colour wasn't very good at all. It should have been named Invisible because you couldn't even tell it was there. But that was on ME and my skin tones. Besides the colour, the only problem I had is it dried my lips out after just a couple hours. 

My lips are still very tender and that was.....Tuesday. So I'm giving the Upscale- and all the lipsticks a pass. But the company can't be held accountable for my allergies. (On a side-note, Those EOS lawsuits should be dropped. That's just ridiculous.)

The Upscale Lipstick gets 5 Hearts!!!!

The Lip Gloss is called

Lovesick ...too orangy and too sheer foror my skin tone, but I used it over a lipstick I had previously not been able to wear because it was too dark and together it brightened the colour up so it was just PERFECT!!!!(Sorry no photo for this one either.)

The Lovesick Lip Gloss gets 7 Hearts!!!!

I'll do a review of the Skincare products they sent next time.
And that's it for my Product Review this time!!!!

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In other news- we got a sprinkling of snow  last evening.......the snow's stopped but it remains cold as a well diggers butt in the Antarctic!!!  Brrrrrrrr..... I hope to see more of it....possibly next weekend as I'm off on Friday.
On the other hand, I've been stuck in the bloody house for three weekends in a dang row, so I might have to delay that snow til Monday of the following week. but I defo want a good proper snow this year.

I know I said I was going to be more economically  sensible up top of the post- but I've been debating about getting my hair cut again for several months......and after something my hubby said today have decided to go ahead with getting it done. No it wasn't anything bad he said- it was actually a compliment. And if I'm going to be selling cosmetics I think I need to upgrade my look to something a bit more polished. so.....This is the hairstyle I an trying for.....

Quite Possibly the most beautiful woman ever to have lived. That hair is just so......
perfect.
Anyway, That's the plan.

So til next time..............!!!

It's MY Business- Not Big Brother's.

Well a funny thing happened on the way to the loo.
No, actually it didn't- but there's a story to be told here and that seemed a good way to start it since it's all about the loo...or the bathroom....or the restroom. However you want to say it.

So, there was this totally anonymous person  who opened their email at work.....well actually there were a LOT of anonymous people who oped their e-mails to find  a strongly worded missive saying quite rightly that there were some things happening in the loos that as adults we should find disgusting and needed to stop immediately.
That much I....I mean 'everyone' agrees on.

But then this puffed up bullfrog proceeds to tell everyone that 
*The restrooms aren't meeting places to have a chat with each other- you go in- do your business, and get out.
*It also isn't the place to catch up on your reading, text messages, Face book or Twitter.
* There is hand soap, water and air dryers- use them.(Also one I...I mean the anon person agrees with because I recognize voices and the number of ladies who go to the bathroom, do their business and then walk out without washing their hands is ASTRONOMICAL!!!! It's the reason said anon person doesn't eat when we have make and bakes. I ...I mean THEY-know who is clean and if  they cant be one of the first people in line I just forgo the entire event.....I mean They.

So- this puffed up wombat not only does that- she supposedly has people mailing her photos and tattling on who they "suppose" the culprits are and if it continues she has no problem with "Naming & Shaming"- (Her phrase)- the people and also speaking with their managers for disciplinary action.
Okay- now here is the problem with that......one word......"SUPPOSE".
Really? Ummm..... innocent until proven guilty? Circumstantial evidence? Ringing a Bell here?

Not only all that- but to top it all off, someone had posted an absolutely disgusting photo of one of the complaints to her in an email and she sent it with the email...in her words- "If I have to see it- so does everyone else."
And it absolutely was gaggingly disgusting. And it really offended me and turned my stomach. And that's something I shouldn't have to be subjected to at work.
I'm seriously thinking about making a complaint of my own about her posting that email to us all. Very unprofessional.
And that in itself is utterly disgusting.
(Yeah all pretense of it happening to Ms. Anon just went out the window.)

And let me just say something else.
As long as my bathroom breaks aren't excessively long or frequent, my breaks are MY Business- Not  Anyone else's. And if they are more frequent or take a bit longer than they should with my tummy issues, I cut my lunch short to match the time. Also none of any one's business as long as I get my work done and don't take advantage.

What I do on them while I'm doing my business- is NONE of anyone's but mine. If I want to read my texts I will. If I want to shop for my next pair of boots- I will. If I want to whistle Dixie, I will. I will also speak pleasantly to anyone who is in there while I'm washing my hands after I finish. No- it's not a meeting place or a place to have a nice chit-chat or catch up- but I will not be silent and ignore people because some pompous ass who thinks they are wayyyyyyyy bigger in the company than they really are says so.

There was a MUCH better way of handling the situation than the way it was done. And I'm NOT happy about it.

Resolutions........? I'd Rather It Be A Bucket List, Thank You.

I've never been a big fan of making them- the best I can do and hope to keep is to say I will try to do better and be better than I was the previous year. And that's worked out so far for me.

Well, I may not have posted  much about my weight loss on here- (I have a separate blog for it)- but I've been plugging away at it, anyway. Until Halloween, that is. Then it all seemed to go out the window. Bad weather hit- Halloween with all the goodies- I was a hot mess of eating rubbish. All the way thru December. Then, I weighed the day after Christmas- dreading to look at the numbers- and was seriously confused when I found out I had only gained a lb.

Yes- ONE SINGLE POUND.

That was a bit worrying considering the amount of sweets and carbs I had consumed over the past couple of months, but then I thought- Why look a gift horse in the mouth? Take it and RUN with it into the new year- and what's more- let's get a head start on those New Year Resolutions everyone is so gun-ho about making. As I said-I've never been a big fan of making them- the best I can do and hope to keep is to say I will try to do better and be better than I was the previous year. And that's worked out so far for me. So that's what I'll continue doing.

I've went back to working with my FitBit and logging all my food and water and exercise and such. I still am in love with that device.

Well, anyway- to finish up the story- I weighed  yesterday morning- a week after my last weigh-in, and according to the scales- after taking care to log everything carefully and be more aware of what I ate- I have lost 7.5 lbs.

I'll take it.

I don't know if it counts as resolutions- but I want to read more this year- since moving over here and getting a job I haven't been able to read as much as I used to. I don't think I've written a single word on my books in the past 6 month, either. At this rate I'll never get them finished. If I had time an energy to do it- there's a few things I'd like to do ....let's call it a Bucket List tho- gives me more time to tick a few off......before I Kick the Bucket.

They include:
Read more books:(I'm also quite the fan of Audio Books thanks to my husband.- He's had me listening to Brian Blessed's autobiographical called Absolute Pandemonium on our trips to his parents house every other weekend. If you get a chance please check it out- he is HYSTERICAL!)
Learn to speak a bit of Italian: I think it's the most beautiful language in the universe.
Finish My Books: I think 5 years is a bit long- but then again, I am working on three at once so maybe it's not.
Buy my own house and be able to hang artwork on the walls: This propping paintings against the walls are for the birds. I do NOT like Rental Properties.
Travel to a few select places in Europe:...heck- even in the UK!!! I've been here almost 5 years and so far I've been to Edinburgh Scotland, Liverpool, St. Helens, and Manchester.
I'd like to go to Spain, Greece, Germany, Ireland(Both North & South), France and maybe Portugal. Just once to all those places to be able to say I've been there.
Maybe I should add Visit the States more often... I'm going to do that anyway, and it's the ONE thing I can tick off that list for SURE!!!

So- any of y'all doing resolutions?