Would you ever guess I wear cheap makeup?

For years.. I've been told MAC is the best makeup to wear on TV. Oh joy, $30 makeup I can't afford because I barely make enough to feed myself on a daily basis.

So, for the first couple of years I was in TV I would head to the MAC counter. Sure, it's great makeup. I've tried other brands and nothing seemed as good.

Recently, I was told that a brand called E.L.F started making HD makeup. Ok, if you know anything at all about ELF you know it's CHEAP! You also know, that isn't always a good thing. Cheap makeup can be some of the worst things a woman can experience.

So, I thought ok why not try this stuff. What will it hurt?

Yes, I know I need a manicure. Don't pay attention :) lol

I started off with the ELF Flawless Finish Foundation. It's SPF 15 (great for sunny days) and Oil Free (great for not breaking out.)

I was very skeptical. But, I was very impressed. It goes on smooth and lasts a shockingly long time. I have pretty neutral skin as far as dryness or oily goes. It makes me a little shiny but for $6 I can't complain. At Target they only have it in 4 shades. I buy mine a little dark so I look like I have some color on tv. However, it doesn't give me that orange-ish color. I give it an A! It's wonderful.

Next, I bought the ELF 3-in-1 Mascara. I really enjoy the MAC mascara and I really liked the ZUZU Luxe one. I hate mascara that bunches. I already have pretty long lashes so I need something that just makes them stand out. Is this my favorite mascara? Probably not. But for $2 or $3 bucks it does its job.

Ha, so recently I've been breaking out. I haven't had a breakout this bad since probably high school. Why? Frankly, I'm just incredibly stressed. I was at Target and found the ELF Zit Zapper. I couldn't help but laugh. It was a $1. So, hey why not I'll give it a try. I've only used it once so I can't give an accurate review. It has salicylic acid in it.. so beware of the burn!!

ELK Makeup Lock and Seal: Ok, I sweat my makeup off almost every day. So, that means I have to reapply 2-3 times a day! What a pain!! So, I saw this and crossed my fingers it would work. You basically put 2-3 drops of this stuff into a little tiny jar. Then, dip your brush into the stuff and then into your eyeshadow. YAY! Not only does this stuff help your eyeshadow last longer but it also brightens the color. Very cool! I only use it for eye shadow.. I tried doing it with my blush... lets just say that didn't go over well.

I've tried 2 different kinds of ELF eyeshadow. The more expensive, baked one is on the left. The cheap one is on the right. I love the baked one. It works well and lasts a while. The one on the right just gets everywhere and that drives me nuts. With the Lock and Seal it works better but it's still not great. It transitions as a typical $1 brand eyeshadow to me. I'd probably stick with MAC or another expensive brand for eyeshadows.




I also have something called ELF HD Powder. Really good for us TV people. It's $6 and works just as well as MAC or any other brand. It just makes you look flawless.

All in all, it's trial and error. But, for a couple of bucks you can afford to do all this! 

Do's and Don'ts of Wedding Planning

Ok.. if you know me, you know I'm stressed to the max lately.

Our wedding venue canceled a few days after we lost Basil. Talk about stress on top of stress. So, after we found Basil the search began for another place to say I do.

I'm particular. I don't want to a reception in a big fancy ballroom. I don't want to get married on the beach. Let me tell you, when you choose to get married in Florida... your chances from there are limited.

We thought we found the perfect place. But, it fell through. So, we ventured to find something better. Not an easy task. I wanted to cry. We already booked our wedding planner and photographer. We were about a month away from scheduling a caterer.

So, we're a little over a year away from the wedding date. I didn't think we would have a problem finding a new place for our date. Ha, I was wrong. What is wrong with Florida brides? Do you plan a wedding before you're even engaged or are their really THAT many brides?

So, after  a week of searching and then days of my wonderful parents taking their days off and searching.. we landed on something else (on a different date.)

Meanwhile, I'm still trying to get my $$ deposit back.

So far on my search here's my list:

Do:
- Ask vendors a lot of questions
- Go with a legitimate venue. Our original venue was a guy who bought a mansion and decided to turn it into wedding venue. DON'T DO THIS. Chances are what happened to us, won't happen to you but I wouldn't want to risk it.
- Book Early
- Make decisions smart.. is it too good to be true?
- Have a back up plan

Don't
- Trust everyone's word
- Trust google reviews.. Go to the site, visit people in person, go with your gut.
- Put down a large deposit


Meanwhile.. I'll be pulling out my hair somewhere in Huntsville, Alabama.

Our Family is Back Together

Many of you are asking.. so here it goes. The story of Basil.. 

On August 3rd, 2013-- Basil and my fiance went for a hike at the Walls of Jericho in Hytop, Alabama. At some point on the hike Basil became scared and took off. She wasn't found until 8/10/13.. 7 days later.

We went back to the Walls many times over those 7 days.. to no avail. Basil just wasn't having it. She was having too much fun in those woods.



Many times over the past week, we've received phone calls and tips about our little pup. From Birmingham to Huntsville.. we about heard it all.

On 8/7 Basil was spotted at the entrance of the Walls but took off when someone called her name. Same thing seemed to happen day after day. On Friday, I left my shirt and her KONG up there.. I figured she may like that or recognize the smell of my shirt.



Thank goodness! On Saturday, Vince and I woke up at 5:30am to head to the Walls. As we were driving up Highway 79, I passed the horse entrance to the trails. Vince kept asking me why I didn't stop but I kept driving. We pulled into the hiking entrance.. and there she was. My beautiful, little pup just sitting there on her bed (that someone nicely left for her) with my shirt and her KONG. I started crying my eyes out. It was my first time seeing her in 7 days!!!!


Of course, I get out of the car (which I parked in the middle of entrance as soon I saw her, btw) and kneel down and she trots away. Silly pup. So, we start our search. We saw her. We have hope. So Vince heads one way and I head the other. All of a sudden, I hear Vince calling my name. I run over there. He said Basil ran from him. So, we walked about 1/4 of a mile on the trail and ran into her again. I knelt down.. and she kept looking like she wasn't sure what to do.

So.. I started throwing bits of food at her and finally she decide to come and see us. It was the most amazing moment. 



I can't thank those that took time to help look for her enough. It really is truly amazing to know such animal lovers and lovely people exist. We honestly cna't thank you guys enough. It's truly a blessing we got our dog back. But, all of you really helped us keep our faith.  We never expected to meet such wonderful people on this journey. It's simply amazing and I can't emphasize that enough.

Basil is doing wonderful. We went straight to the vet. No fleas, no ticks. Just a bacterial infection on her tummy. But, she'll be GREAT!!!!!!



THANK YOU!!!