Europe with my Family

FINALLY!!!!

I have been horrible about making new posts lately! I just can't seem to get it together! With summer weddings and trips...I have been very busy, but now I am back and can share all about my trip to Europe.

After a year of planning, Joseph and I took a Mediterranean Cruise with my family. It was incredible! It was great bonding time for everyone since it was the first time since everyone was married. These are just a few out of the 800 that I took (that's pretty sad)!

For our two year anniversary, we went to Paris a few days before we met up with my family for the cruise. (Pictures are soon to follow) It's such a great way to see several countries without the expense of a ton of hotels and transportation. I definitely recommend it!

On the cruise with my sister and sister in law.

Me and Joseph at our first formal night.

Our first day, we stopped in Naples, Italy. We traveled into Pompeii and Sorrento. This is the Almalfi Coast and Mt. Vesuvius is in the background somewhere-the only active volcano in Europe.

They had lemon trees EVERYWHERE. They also had orange trees along the streets where you shopped. What a life!

In Sorrento, We stopped here at this local family farm. It has been in the family at least for the past 4 generations. They make olive oils from their olive trees that were hundreds of years old, limoncello which is a liqueur using their lemons, and homemade mozzarella cheese.

This is the lady that was showing us the process of making mozzarella cheese.

The Fam at the Pompeii Ruins

In front of the old city of Pompeii which was destroyed by Mt. Vesuvius (which you can see behind us).

Me and Joseph at Dinner





The Guys! My Brother, Brother in law, and husband

2nd Day....Rome, Italy and the Vatican City



Me and Joseph in front of the Colosseum



My sister and I needed our coffee every morning for our long days!




Sistine Chapel (You were not allowed to take pictures inside...but I happened to sneak this one)




Part of the Sistine Chapel...How incredible!

At the Trevi Fountain

3rd Day....Florence, Italy. Aren't these shops adorable? We took a tour around the city in the double- decker bus.




Shuffleboard became a nightly activity! The girls won most of the time! :)

4th Day....Monte Carlo, Monaco

We visited the Oceanagrafic Museum. The different types of fish they are unbelievable. This is just one out of many! As soon as we got to the museum, we were going down the stairs to the aquarium section, and my feet completely came out from underneath me and I fell straight down on my bottom, or should i say, my tailbone! Ouch! Have you ever hurt your tailbone? Its definitely something that doesn't go away quickly...it still hurts today! ( How embarrassing!)

5th Day....Marseilles, France. This is in front of Monte Cristo's Chateau D'If.

Joseph's cousins, Daniel, Tiffany, and Claire have lived in Marseilles, France for a year and a half. We met up with them and they were able to show us some of the city and take us to a couple of their favorite local places.

This is one of their famous chocolate shops, "La Cure Gourmande". There is nothing like it!

Mom, me, sister Leah, and sister in law Morgan.

Last night dinner

Sad it was over, but we feel very blessed by all the things we were able to see and do!

Spring Clean Your Makeup Bag!

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW!

Spring is here...and now, almost gone! Can you believe it?? It's almost summer! AHH! It's that time of year to clean out the winter mess!

Here are some ways you can "spring clean your makeup bag":

1) Clean your brushes! Your brushes not only last longer if you clean them regularly, but you get out all the makeup and bacteria that might be lingering on your brush. Yuck! Use a mild antibacterial soap to wash your brushes and leave them overnight to dry.

2) Invest in a new makeup bag for the spring. Organize your products and keep them clean. Target always has good, inexpensive makeup bags. You can also check sephora or your local tuesday morning if you have one. They, sometimes, will have brand name makeup bags that are at a great discount.

3) Out with the old, in with the new. Spring is all about fresh, soft and shimmering colors. So put the dark lipstick in the drawer and try something new for spring. Use products that are multi-functional. Look for compacts that have eyes, cheeks, and lips all together, or a product that can be used on both eyes and cheeks. This will simplify your makeup bag and will be great for traveling.


One quick note: I got a lot of responses about Lancome's Definicils Mascara. I will have to try it! It seemed to be pretty popular. Thanks for the suggestions.

Finding the RIGHT mascara!

It’s been a long time since I have put up a “make-up tip of the week”. Sorry!! It’s been a little crazy these past several weeks!! But, this week, I wanted to give some advice as well as hear from others about their favorite mascara. What is your favorite mascara and why?? Finding the right mascara has always been a challenge. Everyone likes something different when looking for a good mascara, whether you're looking for a light coat of color, lengthening, volumizing, or one that is waterproof and doesn’t smudge. It seems everyone that I have talked to lately has usually tried about 10 different kinds and still haven’t found something they LOVE! So…I thought I would give a few suggestions as well as get some from others. I, too, am always looking for the next best thing!!

Lengthening/ Volumizing:
Fresh Supernova- $25
YSL Volume Effect- $28.50
Laura Mercier Thickening and Building- $20
Maybelline Colossal - $5-$10
Lancome- $24
Kevyn Aucoin

Basic Defining:
Laura Mercier- Regular black- $20
Bare Escentuals black or brown- $15


Waterproof/Smudgeproof:
Blinc Kiss Me- $24
DiorShow Waterproof Mascara- $24

Unless you have very light lashes, I would typically recommend black for everyone. If you do have light lashes, use a brown/black. Your mascara should be replaced about every 3 months. Also, try to turn and wiggle your mascara as you take the wand out instead of pumping it. When you pump it, you allow air to get in the product which makes the mascara dry up faster. These mascara's I listed are ones that I have tried or at least have heard are good. I would love to hear what your favorite mascara is!!!

Los Angeles Trip- Murad Medical Spa!!!!

Well, I just got back from Los Angeles! We (me and the other "glo" girls) took a trip to go see the Murad Spa, which is one of the skincare lines that we carry in the store. IT WAS FABULOUS!! After our flight was delayed several hours, we finally arrived and immediately picked up our rental car and got started. We went to hollywood, beverly hills, visited the kodak theatre, and rodeo drive. I am always amazed at the gorgeous houses there! They are all so unique and different! We woke up on Monday and got breakfast and did a little bit of shopping. Then, later in the afternoon, we went to the Murad Spa and Inclusive Health Center. We met Dr. "J" who was the head of clinical research for the company. She works directly with Dr. Murad, who is a dermatologist, pharmacist, clinical professor of medicine, and CEO of Murad. We toured the offices and the medical spa, then we received complimentary facial treatments. I was in heaven!! I got the new Intensive Wrinkle Reducer Peel, and my skin was so smooth and soft afterwards. I forget (even though we offer these services at glo) how much a facial can relax and renew you. If you have the time and can afford to get a facial once a month, do it!! Its amazing how one hour can take so much stress off and leave you feeling rejuvenated inside and out.

Murad Inclusive Health Center - This is their new addition!

"Glo" girls Having Dinner in Santa Monica

Last morning in Los Angeles enjoying breakfast!

We left Tuesday morning after breakfast and our plane got delayed again....only this time it was because of the clogged toilets! Yes, the toilets wouldn't drain because of some "debris". Gross!!!! By law, the plane couldn't take off until they got drained, so we de-boarded and left later on another flight. Tired as we were, it was pretty funny!! We enjoyed our trip, we learned a lot about the technology of skincare, and our skin looked smooth and felt incredible!

Answereing Questions...

I want to answer some questions that I received from doing my last post. This is for Jennifer in PA...

Yes, I have heard of "face brighteners" and there are several different brands that have these types of products. I am not that familiar with almay's products, so I don't know what they have specifically. I do know that they have a highlighting pen for underneath your eyes, but not sure about the face one. There are many different ways to create that "glow" or supple and dewy effect to the skin. You can get it through a highlighting bronzer to apply to the top of your cheeks or high points of your face. You can also get it through illuminating foundation, like you probably saw in the magazine. You can use it alone or with your foundation, and apply it to the high points of your cheekbones to create radiance. Different brands have different techniques and products to acheive this. Here are a few of my favorite:

1) *Laura Mercier's Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer- $42
2) Laura Mercier's Mosaic Shimmer Bloc- $38
3) Bobbie Brown Shimmer Brick - $40
4) Bare Escentual's Clear Radiance - $18
5) Clinique Up-Lighting Liquid Illuminator- $22



I hope this helps! I carry a few of these products in my store, so if you would like to try samples of these, let me know and I will send you some!

Thanks!

Make-up Tip of the week (needing new name) :)

First of all, thank you for all of your fun comments! I loved all the welcome notes to "blogland". (I didn't even know it was called that) :) Everyone seemed pretty interested in learning some new fun tips for makeup, so I thought I would start my "tip of the week", but I am definitely needing a new name. I would love to hear any ideas. It can be anything having to do with cosmetics or a fun rhyme with my name. So....let me know what your ideas are!

Tip of the week:

This weekend, I tuned in to QVC for a little of my favorite, Laura Mercier Beauty. I am not a typical QVC watcher (Actually, I never watch it), but Laura Mercier herself was on there featuring some of her must-have products, and I was very interested to see it. I met her once in Dallas. She doesn't do a lot of public appearances, and is actually very shy. She has a thick French accent, and is a true artist. So, for her to appear on television was kind of a big deal. Anyway, she featured a few of her best selling products, including her Foundation Primer.

If you don't use a primer underneath your makeup, here are a few benefits to adding the extra step:

1) It evens out your skin by filling in large pores and fine lines and wrinkles.

2) It creates a barrier between your skincare and makeup, which keeps your moisturizers and treatments continually working, as well as keep your foundation from clogging your pores or settling in creases.

3) Most importantly is holds on your makeup longer than it normally would, especially in the upcoming hot and humid weather.

Now, for the moms....I know that adding that extra step can be difficult when you don't have much time for yourself, but the best part about it is you won't have to touch up later! Your makeup should last about 6 hours longer than it normally would, so you shouldn't have to re-do your makeup. If you invest in a primer, and take 2 extra seconds to put it on (last product you use before foundation) it will definitely be worth it!

There are also a lot of other benefits to a primer that are listed on her website. I am going to try to talk about all brands of makeup at all different prices ranges. Feel free to ask any questions. I love to help out in a make-up crisis!

Friday will be: Finding the Right Mascara, and Spring Clean your Makeup Bag

www.glolimited.com

Barrett's 4th Birthday

This weekend, Joseph and I went to Little Rock to celebrate my nephew's 4th birthday. This was his first time to have friends come from his school, so it was a BIG deal! They had it at a church, and inside there was a play area with a jungle gym. The party started at 10 a.m.! That means...pizza and cake came at 10:45. Talk about an upset stomach! I am not used to eating that early!

Some of the kids from school

This is Branton, my other nephew. He just turned one in february.

This is Barrett and his cousin Bowden.