Taking in the New Zealand view with "I Heart Faces"

I have been having a photo itch lately and thought what best way to put it to use than to participate in the blog community challenge ... 

If you love to take photos, I encourage you to participate in I Heart Faces weekly challenge.  This week's theme challenge is "scenic b&w".  So, here is my entry:

Taking in the New Zealand view

Take a look at all the other entries and good luck to all who participate.  =)

-Hizles

The Simple Things

This is definitely one of the things this week that puts a smile on my face, my little person’s creativity and imagination.  Making spaceships out of empty paper rolls, construction paper and tissue paper.  Anything is a toy for a child. 

I can’t wait for next weeks “Simple Things”.

Thanks Rebecca for coming up with such a great idea ... click here to see Rebecca's talent.

-Hizles

My little treasures in beauty

Hi ... I thought I would share some of my favorite product at the moment.  These are not items I have been using all month but items that I have been using quite a lot.  These are both little inexpensive treasures that I like using.  

First, Maybelline Quad Eye Shadows - Let me start by saying that I have a few more of these shades but have only started using these three in the past few days.  Alone these eye shadows are not very long lasting and can also be a bit chalky when applied, not all the colors, but some.  I find the best way to use these shadows and to make the color last me all day is to use a good primer.  My favorite eye primers are Urban Decay Primer Potion, Two Faced Shadow Insurance, and Painterly Paint Pot from MAC and also, Soft Ochre.  If I apply any of these primers my shadow appears to have more pay off and longer lasting.  Also, I followed the instructions on each of the shadows ... so if the color reads "LID" stamped on the shadow, I would use that for my lid and so forth.  

I would not compare these shadows to MACs or UD but with a good primer you can make these colors work for you.  Don't be intimidated like I was with some of the bright colors because with proper blending you can rock any of the quads.  

Second and last, is the Burt Bee's Citrus Facial Scrub.  YUM! Does this one smell good.  I have had this little tub in my drawer for a few weeks but wasn't too impressed with it the first time I used it.  Keep in mind I did use it during the summer days but now that my face is patchy dry due to the cooling down in temperature, this is doing a good job in clearing out those black heads and keeping my face nice and clean.  I threw the box out and can't remember if it is safe to use it everyday but I certainly have been using it at least 3 times a week ... only at night.

For a while there I was using the aspirin scrub once a week but I so much prefer the smell of citrus than of aspirin, don't you?  

I hope you found this post useful and if you have some beauty treasures that you feel are a must try let me know, I'd love to know them too.

-Hizles

My Nighttime Regimen

So lately, as I mentioned in my past posts I have been using my Shiseido products switching between the Benefiance and the White Lucid for both morning and evening moisturizers.  They are both great products that target specific areas in which I need lots of help with.  Now, I am not using each line at the same time but I will use one in the morning and the other at night.  I have freckles and to help fade them I use the White Lucid, while the Benefiance helps with my more drier, patchy areas of the face.

One nighttime product that I find myself coming back to time and time again is the Oil of Olay Regenerist Night Recovery Cream.  It’s just like the bottle says … it’s like a mini-lift each morning.  Because I have combination skin, I don’t like to feel a ton of oily products on my face.   I am always afraid I will stain my pillowcase with the excessive oily moisturizers.  This cream actually penetrates my skin and I am not left with a ‘disco ball’ of a face or streak marks on my pillow.  I wake up with my face feeling hydrated and supple.  I like the cream so much that I have now purchased my third bottle.  It’s not often that I go through an entire bottle of anything but this one is a keeper.  Most of the products produced by Oil of Olay are always a comeback for me … beginning with the Fluid, which I used long ago and may revisit.  I still find that I go back to most of their products when my face decides to have a fit and has had it with my Shiseido, Dior, or Estee Lauder products. 

It frankly surprises me that this little bottle makes such a difference in my face each morning.  As I sit here typing this blog, I can touch my face without feeling greasy and sticky and not having my glasses slide down my nose from all the unnecessary moisture.  This one is a staple in my vanity, even if I may not use it in a month’s time, I know I will come back to it.  The up side to this little bottle (if you need more that what I have already mentioned) is that it will only run you under $20 for my American friends in the states, and a little goes a long way.  In comparison to the other lines I have mentioned this is a good deal.

Now that we are officially in the colder months (I can’t wait for the temperature to drop a lot more) I will be reaching for this little bottle each evening for my mini facelift effect.  Now the next thing on my list is to find a good eye cream, a cream that will take care of those pesky early crows feet.  That’s another item I go off and on with.  Once I find one that is worth mentioning I will share that with you all but in the meantime if you know of one - do share. 

Good night!  And don’t forget to use those night creams … our little miracle potions.

-Hizles 

Happy (day after) Thanksgiving!!!

This post should perhaps have been up yesterday but with the cooking and the feast I had before me, it was impossible.

I am so thankful for my wonderful little family here with me today and all my other family that is far… and even further.  In these tough times we are grateful to have food on our table, a job that provides that, while there are many that barely have enough to eat on any other day.

… for all those things and more, I am thankful.  I have air in my lungs and we have health.  Thank you god.

Now, to my feast, I wasn’t able to snap a picture of all my dishes because it isn’t easy being the cook and the photographer.  The meal turned out delicious and yes, it was my first Thanksgiving meal cooked all on my own!  The only items I did not make were the apple pie, which my better half kindly popped over to Whole Foods for.

Here are a few if the pictures I was able to get ...

Homemade stuffing

String Beans

Stuffed Turkey

Sweet Potato Casserole

All I missed were the masked potatoes, corn, homemade turkey gravy, cranberry sauce, and pies ... but they were all so yummy!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

-Hizles

Lilac for Fall? Oh YES!

I realize it’s officially Fall, what with the holidays soon approaching and Thanksgiving being in a few days but I cannot resist using such spring feminine colors.  Who said you had to follow rules when it comes to makeup or polish?  Pish Posh! If I feel it in me, I’m wearing it. 

Rushed polish, but none the less on.

Lilac Pastelle by Revlon is the flavor of the week(end).  

-Hizles

Seafood

One of my most favorite restaurants is Fanco and Vinny’s Restaurant.  They have fantastic tasting pizza and pastas but the real reason I don’t mind making the drive to this place is because of their seafood salad. 

It might not look like much of a salad but the dressing MAKES this salad.

I have asked the waiters if they would be kind enough to share the recipe with me but can only tell me that olive oil and lemons are used to make this tangy tasting dressing.  This salad fills me up.  NO need for dessert, pizza or bread. 

Another one of my favorite salads is … Olive Garden’s salad with breadsticks. Yuummm!  Except if I have it lately, I will be skipping on the breadsticks, who needs the added carbs?

This delightful meal was the topping to my weekend.  Eating out is not something I do too often.  The Howard Hughes in me begins to think too much about what actually goes down in kitchens at many restaurants, regardless of how high-end they feel they might be.

I’ve been told I should relax a bit when it comes to my OCD because it will only worsen with age.  I can actually consent to this … I have gotten worse. 

I’m sure we all think about this at some point when we eat out …. or conceivably just me.

The little things that make my smile …. and my belly.

-Hizles

Palettes and Springs

Here is my update on my makeup organizing ….

This has been in the works for a year now.  I have a few (to say the least) MAC eye shadows that I have to de-pot and load to my palette(s).  This past week I made a trip to Michael’s and purchased magnet strip tape and round labels in the hopes that I would have de-potted all of my eye shadows over the weekend and organize all my shadows.  Boy was I wrong! 

I did however get my one and only MAC palette separator shell removed to make more room for 26 of my already in a pan shadows..  Why fit 15 shadows when you can fit 26 in one single palette.  I was able to put all of my pan shadows in this palette.  Out of all of my eye shadows still in the pot shell, I was able to depot one. The next step is to purchase 3 more palettes and de-pot my eye shadows so they may fit in their new cozy home.  What do you think?  Isn’t it a great idea?

 I searched on YouTube to find the best method in de-potting my shadows.  There are two ways I can tackle the project, use heat to loosen the glue or clip the plastic with wire cutters and a knife.  Both ways are a bit dangerous if you think about it … You can either cut your finger while using the knife or smell the fumes of burning plastic as you wait for the glue to become loose enough lift the pan from the casing.  I opted for the knife and wire cutters, even though I only did one shadow, I was scared that my shadow pan would break my beautiful “Shroom” e/s, there were a few close calls.

Once I get my shadows de-potted I will work on organizing my entire makeup.  @_@

On another note … I found these cute springs and you will never guess what they are used for.  

They are used to keep a bun in place … no, not a bread bun, but a hair style bun.  

This is not how I would normally style my bun but I did want to give you an idea of how it’s used.  All you do is twist your hair around a pony tail and then use two or one of the springs and turn (think about a screw and screwdriver, yeah! Just like that).  And then viola!  You’ve got a bun.  Pretty cool huh, we’ll see how long it is before I lose them.  Heheheheh …

-Hizles

Organizing makes life so much easier ...

I wanted to share with all of you my little discovery and “Ah …” moment.  For the past few days I have been trying to find the best way to organize my makeup and beauty products.  In this new place I have very limited counter space which mean that most of my cosmetics, body products and beauty products have to go in my closet … unfortunately, my closet is a lot smaller than what I had before.  In the old house I had my own walk-in closet where I was able to get dressed and put my makeup on - here, not so much.  I have to put on my make up in the bathroom, which has horrible lighting and with the weather being the way it has been lately, the natural light that comes in through the windows is not the best. 

So in the meantime I found this little counter organizer. 

Got this at Bed, Bath and Beyond

I am able to put all my lotions and potions (okay, maybe not all of them) in one location in my bathroom without it being all over my tiny counter space.  This is not all of my makeup, just what I happen to have on the counter when I started organizing with this little caddy.  In the next few days I will do a more thorough sweep of my go-to items and place them in this vanity organizer.  This little organizer made such a difference on my counter I don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner.  Maybe this will help me keep my junk in one area of the counter. 

It’s funny but I feel so much better … walking in to my makeup room (THE BATHROOM) and not having all these items laying all over the counter.  I know … it’s the little things that make me happy.

-Hizles

Palm Beach Zoo

This past weekend my tribe and I headed to the beautiful Palm Beach Zoo.  It was the perfect time of the year to walk around the zoo since the weather was in our favor and there was actually a nice cool breeze.  I have visited the Miami Zoo in the summer in high humidity hot weather and it was not fun at all.  Besides the zoo being so big which meant there was lots of walking (in our case we opted for the bicycle cart) the high heat did not make it pleasant.  Even with a bicycle cart the breeze was like being slapped with a wet towel ... not that I've ever been slapped with one but you can imagine.  Here are some of the pictures of our trip ... my favorite part of the zoo was the Mayan exhibit, I am sucker for pyramids and sculptures.  Enjoy!

This is how our day started, I had to take a picture of this.

I think this is a vulture, not sure, but I didn't want to be around this fella.

How beautiful is this swan?  Poor thing though, look at the filth it's swimming in.

Next, the tigers, the other one was a bit shy.

Aaaaah! Now we get to my favorite part of the day.

Tell me this isn't beautiful?  I'd love to actually see these sculptures and pyramids some day again.

I believe this was to be some type of replica of one of the widest tree in the world, which happens to be in Oaxaca.  I think this is too small though ... the real thing is way bigger than this. 

The problem with being the one that has the camera is that you never get to be in the pictures.  I would have liked to be part of this one.

The Jaguar, beautiful!

I wish I would have taken more pictures but I was really interested in looking at what was in front of me that I forgot to take more shots.  The zoo was a lot bigger and had more exhibits than what I share here.  Hope you enjoyed it.

-Hizles

DISAPPOINTED

If you live in the states and you love all that is beauty, you might have heard of a little place called Ulta.  Today I took a looooong drive to my nearest Ulta only to discover how it was a complete waste of time and gas … so very disappointed.  Like one of my dear friends said to me, “Ulta is like a ghetto Sephora,” hahahaha – she is so right!  Had I known what I know now I would not have taken such a long drive to get there. 

Let me start off by saying that Ulta does carry both items you will find in drugstores and at most department stores, except it is very limited to the quantity they carry.  Sephora only carries items that you would find in department stores or higher end cosmetic lines, in my opinion at least.  YSL, Shiseido, MUFE, Laura Mercier, Estee Lauder, Lancome … to name a few.

I was so excited once I finally arrived to only be disappointed by the products they had and lacked.  You would think that Ulta would have a larger quantity of products but nope! They are very limited.  NYX Cosmetics is one of the lines I wanted check out because it’s very inexpensive and I love their lipsticks and glosses.  There was about 2-3 of whatever was still left on the shelves.  Also they did not have all the lipstick shades I was hoping to try.  In all honesty, I’ve seen more of a selection (for NYX) at a fashion store than I saw at Ulta.  Also each of their lines was so small and again, VERY LIMITED … Lorac, Smashbox, Urban Decay …. I found that they had a larger section for drugstore lines than department store items.

Here are a few pictures of the store as you enter.  Don’t be fooled, it is big however the items I did like they did not have in stock.  Perhaps I walked in on a bad day and items are sitting in a box waiting to be shelved.  Hmmmmmm …. Am I making excuses for these guys?

This is right outside the store, I was excited to finally arrive.

As soon as you walk in.

To the left - most of the drugstore make up, brushes, lotions, hair dye.  What you would find at CVS.

To the right - higher end cosmetics, fragrances, nail polish, body care

-Hizles

Jessica Simpson Handbag

A few days ago while shopping for Halloween decorations I happen to be in shopping center where a  T.J. Maxx is also located.  As I have mentioned before, I bought a handbag from there about a month or so ago.  I knew that I would most likely find something cute ... a girl can't have too many bags ... hehehhee.

So here is the little treasure I found ....

Can you believe that this bag is made by Jessica Simpson?  I have to say that I was impressed.  So impressed that I went on her website to see what other goodies she had that I had not discovered yet.  While browsing I found the same exact bag I bought at T.J. Maxx for more, way more than what I paid ...   click here to check her website out.  I'm no sucker!  I did not pay $118.00 + tax for this bag.  This bargain hunter paid less than half of her website price.  Also, this bag is listed as a new item.  Thank you Jessica Simpson ... or should I say T.J. Maxx?

This bag suits me perfectly, it's not too big but not too small, and it fits all my precious little things like my phone, my keys, my leopard wallet, and so many of the other items I lug around.  It has two zip pockets on each outer side, plus two additional pockets.  My bag also came with an extra strap which can be used to wear it as a cross-body bag.  I am short so that look would not look good with this size bag.  It's very sturdy and so easy to clean.  On occasion I like to wipe the bottom of my handbags with a moist towel and mild soap (or a disinfectant wipe) to clean off any of the dirt that it might have picked up when setting it down while dining, shopping, or after being put on my steps.  ahahhaha!

There are other colors on her website but for an everyday, the black works for me.  

Don't you just love to find good deals?

Hizles

My Alternative Gym

What a past few weeks I’ve had, phewww!

Well, the spooky holiday is over and I can start prepping for Thanksgiving. 

I know I’ve been away for a while and have once again neglected the blog but life happens and then you get caught up doing things just to fall behind on other parts of your life. 

In the next week or so I hope to give you an update on my hair and how the Moroccan Oil has helped.  This week I was also hoping to organize my makeup.  I’ve bought a small plastic drawer, which I will blog about later, and am planning on having it sit in my bathroom filled with my most used products.  Because of Halloween, I have allowed my face to take a break from makeup completely.  Let me just tell you my face has never felt better.  It could also because I have also switched to Shiseido products.  I know, I know, I raved all about other products before but I can now see why this stuff cost so much … it works like a charm.  Of course I did not pay full price, thankfully I purchased a few of these items while I had my discount access. 

Today I just wanted to share my morning with you and take you along to see what I did today … so far.  I’ve put myself on a plan to walk at least 20 minutes each day.  For the past few days I have been going to the gym and made great friends with the elliptical trainer but that can get old real quick.  So, today I thought I’d find a park and take a nice stroll considering the weather is fabulous.  It’s actually a cool breeze out there today.  The boots may start to come out real soon. 

I did a few of those exercises that are posted along the walk route at most parks and I have to say, I got pretty tired.  I must be really out of shape … ahhahahaha!

Ciao!

-Hizles