Miss Josie Highness

One Thing You Should Never Do in Life...

2009-10-21T07:10:00.000-07:00

Living with your in-laws while your husband is deployed

I don't care how good of a relationship you think you have with your in-laws. Moving in with them is just a huge no-no. It's my mistake #586,039,057!

I left my hometown in California and came to Florida with my newborn baby. My husband isn't here to protect me. My in-laws view me as a financial burden. I try to stay out of their way as much as possible. And they question my mothering skills just because my opinions are different from theres. They let their untrained dogs near my son. I've told them I don't like that. They say to me "get over it. you live here. you will have to get used to the dogs." Dealing with a deployed husband, new motherhood and a new town is way too much for me!

Now, I'm on the verge of packing up all my stuff in my car and driving to California. Eff this place!

I've spoken to my husband about my plans to leave. He doesn't like it but at least he understands that my father-in-law is very hard to get along with!! (Gah, I'd really like to know how my father-in-law's twisted brain came about!)

Anyways, I'm looking forward to spending a long weekend in Orlando with my son. Just the two of us...Heck, I may never come back to this house!

Paleo Diet 101

2009-10-18T18:22:00.001-07:00

In my last "Obsessions" post, I mentioned how the Paleo diet helped me get my pre-pregnancy body weight back. My son is almost four months old and as of today, my body is back to it's original weight and I feel great. I've only done the Paleo diet for five weeks now. When I had first started, I was 124 lbs. Today I weigh at 110 lbs. Before I start explaining the basics of Paleo diet, I'd like to point out a few things:

1) In today's world, the word "diet" is thrown around so much that people assume the word means "starving one's self". Dieting is NOT starving yourself. Dieting is changing the way you eat. So don't assume that I lost my baby weight that quickly by starving myself and eating 3 nuts a day or something.

2) Every diet works! The key to making every diet work is by sticking to it. You've all heard of the Atkins diet, South Beach diet and Weight Watchers diet program I'm sure. They all work to help people lose weight but the only way people will keep the weight off, is by continuing that diet.

3) It's not how much you eat. It's what you eat. You can starve yourself and only eat one meal a day. But if that meal is consisting of fatty foods and junk, you're not going anywhere.

4) The number on the scale shouldn't matter. Of course, it was nice to see my weight plummet on the bathroom scale but the best part was seeing my body become more toned and strong. A person who is overweight can shed many pounds but without exercise, what's left is just loose skin & that's never attractive. What should matter is how healthy & strong you feel! SO NO STARVING, LADIES! :-)

Ok onto our Paleo basics...
When you get a mental picture of Adam & Eve from the bible, do you imagine an overweight couple or do you imagine a fit couple? I usually imagine two of the most beautiful people on the planet. Fit bodies, tan skin, beautiful hair (for Eve, anyway!). And have you ever seen a picture of an obese cave man? Hardly. The Paleo Diet is nicknamed the "caveman diet" for a reason.

Basically, here's the main point: "Eat what you are naturally meant to eat". God gave us the Garden of Eden and it was filled with plants, veggies, fruits, nuts and very meaty animals. If you don't want me to be too biblical, think of it from a caveman's perspective. Cavemen didn't go out to the grocery store and buy bread, cake, milk, pasta and salad dressing. They had to hunt for meat and search for plants with edible veggies/fruit. THAT IS ALL YOU'RE ALLOWED TO EAT!!

How much can you eat? Cavemen ate enough to stay full. I never ate to the point where I wanted to pop, but I ate enough to keep me full. No more counting calories. Just eat naturally.

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking of giving up the sugars, pastas, rice, mashed potatoes, and whatever the heck else you were told was "healthy". Well I will tell you that I have the worst sweet tooth ever. I used to have the appetite of a five year old on Halloween night. It was bad. I loved cereal and milk. I'd eat cereal all day if I could. And my weight was just stuck! If you want real results, you'll give up the crap and try this out. It started as a 30-day challenge between my husband and I. He's in Japan right now on deployment so we haven't seen our progress, but I do remember whining to him on the phone telling him I couldn't take it anymore; I needed sugar!! However, I never caved into the temptation (even at birthday parties! You know how much I looooove cake!). And I'm so happy I didn't.

Another thing you have to consider is how the foods are cooked/prepared. Yes, chicken is meat but if it was fried and dipped in oil, it's definitely not Paleo-friendly :-) Cashews are nuts, but if they've been dusted with salt then stay away from them. A salad is made up mostly of veggies but try to avoid croutons, parmesan cheese (another one of my weaknesses!) and dressing. Sounds boring, huh? But it works. To avoid being bored, I try to mix it up a bit. One day my meat will be turkey and then the next day I'll have tuna.

Here's the good news, you are allowed cheat days. I don't pig out often but once in awhile, I'll let myself have a cookie or a yogurt. & you can still have that weekend beer! Those days are well-deserved after all your hard work! Here's another piece of good news. You don't have to give up sweets entirely. There's a cookbook I found that shows you how to make paleo treats using healthy ingredients. I looked it over and there's nothing that mentions sugar! I'm dying to try them out! Once I do, I'll do a post!

For now, I'll list a few of my favorite Paleo-friendly foods:
Eggs (scrambled, poached, sunnyside up) using olive oil or vegetable cooking spray
Tuna (plain or with eggs--make sure you use the ones in the water not oil)
Turkey breast (either in a salad or alone)
Any kind of fish (skip the tarter sauce, but lemon will work) Sushi works too, just don't eat the rice!
Asparagus/broccoli/spinach/carrots
Apples/grapes/raisins/blueberries (my fave)
Cashew nuts (unsalted)
Water ( I don't drink anything else!)

That's not all I eat, but those are just my favorites. I hope this helps to enlighten some of you on the Paleo diet. This is no fad...it actually works. Paleo diet has helped many people cure illnesses and heal from injuries faster. It's been proven. My skin is clearer and I can withstand my tough workouts at the gym. So if you're willing to go for it, then I wish you the best of luck. I hope this lifestyle change (let's not use the word DIET), brings you health and happiness as it has to me!

*I am not a professional nutritionist or anything. These facts are based on what I've read and experience through Paleo.
*I don't own any of these pictures
*And I plan on doing a fitness post, if you ladies are interested. Thanks for reading!
xoxo
JOSIE

Sexy Crystal Sport Watches.

2009-10-14T07:37:00.000-07:00

Gahhhh!...I want one of these sooo bad!

I've never been a watch person but since I'm always on the go, go, go, I think it's seriously time for me to conform into the watch-wearing world. I was out the other day and saw a girl wearing the cutest white watch ever. I came home immediately and googled it.

White watches have always been so beautiful!

From GUESS:
$115.00 on www.zappos.com

$105.00 on www.zappos.com

From Dooney & Buorke:
$95.00 on www.zappos.com

From FOSSIL:
$99.00 on www.zappos.com

Who's a watch expert on here? Does anyone know the best brand of watches?

xoxo,
Josie

Latest Obsessions

2009-10-07T06:44:00.001-07:00

Here are a few things I've been obsessed with and craving lately. Not everything is beauty related.

1. Knee high socks. I'm so in love with these knee high socks. I don't know if anyone wears these in Florida but they're so cute and comfortable, especially with boots. The Hello Kitty ones my husband got me from Wet Seal and the other two are from Sears Essentials (3 pairs for $10!). I was thinking of wearing them with work out attire. Do you think that's too tacky?

2. Dierks Bentley's "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes". Talk about radio sex! Haha just kidding. I'm a huge fan of country and I think Dierks Bentley is just so dreamy. His eyes, his voice. I love him! This song has been playing on my ipod constantly. I can't get enough of his voice! If you're a fan of country, you should definitely check this song out. It will make you drool.

3. Black suede booties. The ones pictured are from AMIclubwear.com and I just bought them last week. They should be coming in any day now in the mail. One thing I love about Fall fashion is boots! These are just so cute. I remember seeing a bootie like this at Steve Madden last year and I fell in love, but it was $80. These look exactly the same but were only $18. I will definitely do a review on AMIclubwear shoes when I get them in.

4.Cover Girl Lash Blast Luxe I'm on my 3rd one of these now. These are amazing! The glitter isn't too noticeable but the volume and length of your lashes are to die for! I wasn't a big fan of the orange Last Blast one but the Luxe version is absolutely a must! I got it on sale for $5 at CVS, which is the lowest price I've ever seen it at so far. Usually CVS sells it for about $8. Next to L'oreals Extra collagen volume mascara, the Lash Blast Luxe is my favorite.

5. Kellie Pickler I love this girl! I wish she were my friend! :-) Her voice, personality and physical appearance are so beautiful. I could listen to her country accent forever. I know she's been a singer for a few years now but I just recently started listening to her songs this past month and I'm hooked on her songs. I love her hairstyle too. If my hair weren't so hard to manage, I'd cut my hair like that in a heartbeat. She's truly an American sweetheart.

6. Elastic band skirts How versatile are these cute things?!? I have been looking everywhere for cute skirts like these and I've seen a few at Forever21.com but I'm hesitant to buy them before trying them on. I'm scared the elastic band will give me muffin top hehe. I just think they're so feminine and cute. This picture was from a blog called sweetie-beautyspree.blogspot.com I don't know if it's a safe site to buy from but just to be on the safe side, I'll keep searching for these skirts!

7.NYX round lipgloss in Sorbet This has been my go-to lipgloss for the past month now and I love it. It smells great. It's a nice color to top off any lipstick and it's long lasting. I love it better than MAC's Underage l/g. And it costs $1.50 at this store back home in San Diego. Next time I go back home, I'm getting a few more to stock up.

8.Neutrogena Advanced Acne Solutions System I've been using this for about 2 weeks now and it's really working. I'm breaking out less and my blemishes are lightening up. It is kind of drying the first few days but it gets better. I like how it comes with a sunscreen that goes on matte. I use it as my foundation primer now and it's great. I also love the exfoliating face wash. This stuff has worked out for me better than the Mario Badescu acne facial cleanser (that sh*t did nothing for my skin!)

9.Studded clothing I have never been a fan of studded clothing until now. Have you guys watched the music vid to Kellie Pickler's "Best Days of Your Life"? I love her dress and Taylor Swifts dress.

10. Paleo Diet Also known as the caveman diet. I will admit, I hate diets. But this diet has really helped me lose my baby weight and it's so easy. I'm the type of girl who doesn't mind eating cereal and milk all day long. Although cereal has lots of vitamins, it's still not very healthy. My husband (the health freak) introduced me to this diet 6 weeks ago. It focuses on foods that aren't processed like cereal, bread, pasta. Basically, you can only eat things that are naturally grown like meat, veggies and fruit. I feel myself performing better in my athletic activities and I feel myself shedding my pregnancy weight faster. This stuff really works. Giving up cereal was very hard for me but it was so worth it. I'm currently 4 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight & I can't wait to lose it all and maybe even a few more pounds after that.

*All of these pictures that are shown (except the knee high socks) are not mine.

Care Package from Oki & HK Clothes!

2009-09-27T19:30:00.000-07:00

I received a small package from Okinawa that my husband sent me. He is usually not the romantic type but since marrying me, he's been getting better hehe. I convinced him to write letters to me. Emails are nice and phone calls too but there's something about reading a written letter that is sooo utterly romantic to me. Plus I can carry it with me.

He sent our 3-month old son two onesies (size 6 months) that barely fit and a pair of pants. Then since I told him I love Hello Kitty stuff, he found HK notepads and a pen for me. It's so cute because he never knew what Hello Kitty was til now and he was so proud when he found the HK pen!

I also went shopping at Sears Essentials, which is a store right down the street from my house. I don't know if I've ever seen one back home in California but in Florida, they're pretty popular. You really have to look around the racks for cute clothes though. I caught these cute HK clothes and had to get them.

1. PJ set: Pink tank top that says "You had me at HELLO" & black cropped sweat pants. These pants are so much more comfy than the Victoria's Secret sweats.

2. Two boyshort panties. I love sleeping in boyshorts!! And they were on sale for only $4.20 each!

I'm currently looking for cute striped knee high socks. I doubt anyone wears them in Florida but I like them anyways! I saw them at wetseal.com. I really like the black ones with the white stripes. Too dorky?

Thinking of Dying My Hair Lighter

2009-09-27T19:17:00.001-07:00

I'm seriously getting bored with my typical dark brown Asian haircolor. I want to go a bit lighter. Since starting my diet and workout routine, I've lost seven pounds in a month! I'm so excited to be heading towards my pre-pregnancy weight (110 pounds) and I want to lose even a bit more weight after reaching 110.

So I just thought I might as well just do a small makeover! I'm trying to grow my hair out. Cutting my hair during pregnancy was the worst choice I've ever made! I regret it sooo much! Anyways, please let me know what you guys think of Khloe Kardashian's hair color (wouldn't it be nice if I could have her hair length too?!?! GORGEOUS!)

I guess I better start looking for good hair salons in the area and work on my Kardashian tan! :D

Have a great week! xoxo

Quick Announcement!

2009-09-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

My husband is coming home on leave from Dec 15 to Jan 4th!!!!! In all the years of being with him, we'll finally be able to spend Christmas together!

I'm soo excited! Let the countdown begin. Pretty soon, we'll be USMC-free!

Insect Phobia At It's Worst!

2009-09-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

I can't stress enough how much I HATE BUGS!

Since moving to Florida and into the home of my in-laws, I've had to overcome the fact that I'm going to be living with two very large dogs. I don't even know what kinds of dogs they are, but they're huge. They've gotta be part horse or something. These dogs bark constantly, they jump on me as if they're only 5 pounds and they stick their gross wet noses all over me. Yuck! The worst part...THEY HAVE TICKS.

These tiny little critters are everywhere. My mother-in-law said she found them in her bed. I found them in the kitchen, the car seat (ahhh!), Jason's clean baby bottles, and my bedroom floors (even though we do everything we can to keep the dogs out of my room).

These ticks have been a noticeable problem for about two weeks now and its only getting worse. We brought the dogs to the vet and put them on Frontline. So far, I don't see any ticks on the dogs, but I still see them all over the house! What the heck!?!?!

Is this normal? Will they eventually die off if we keep using Frontline on the dogs? Has anyone had tick-killing success stories?

Please Help!

*ps: I'm not trying to diss my in-laws or anything. I love them, and I know they are stressed about the bugs too. I just seem overly stressed about it because I'm a big wuss when it comes to bugs!

Random Things That I'm Currently Craving

2009-09-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

Hey Ladies! I just wanted to share with you the things I've been currently craving lately. Not everything is beauty-related though! Enjoy!

1) White mukluk pom pom boots. I'm sure NOBODY in Florida wears these during anytime of the year but I am and always will be a Cali girl at heart, so I want these boots even if I'll be the only girl wearing them in the south! (picture from barefoottess.com)

2) "Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga. I've been playing this song over and over again. I'm not even a Lady Gaga fan, but this song's pretty catchy! I need to download it into my ipod so I can really listen to it everywhere! (picture from zimbio.com)

3) Victoria's Secret PINK sweatpants. Although I'm not a fan of their lingerie, VS makes pretty cute sweatpants in their PINK collection. Now that I'm a Florida resident, I really want a Gators pair of sweatpants or a NY Mets one. These things are so adorable & super comfortable. I hope going out in my sweatpants never goes out of style :-) (picture from victoriassecret.com)

4) A great workout. I'm so obsessed with Crossfit. Not only does it work, but it's great for people who don't have much time to spend hours and hours at the gym. It uses high intensity workouts with minimal time and minimal equipment. My husband and I have been Crossfitters for awhile and we're hooked for life. There's nothing better than a great morning workout that makes you feel like your body's been thrashed. I love Crossfit and I'm depending on it to help me get my postnatal body back in shape!

5) White leather jacket. Whether it's fake leather or real, what does it matter? White leather/faux leather jackets are so hot! (picture from ardenb.com)

6) Romantic war movies. Maybe it's because I'm married to a marine or maybe I'm just a wuss when it comes to crying in movies. Who knows. Romantic war movies will never bore me. My current favorites are "Atonement" and "Australia". (movie from tvtropes.org)

7) Shopping for baby clothes. So even though my son has enough clothes to last him until he's two years old, thank God for friends who have babies right? I just love browsing Babies R Us and getting little outfits for my friends' babies. Someone needs to have a girl soon because I'm dying to buy a ton of PINK!

8) A good mascara. Why is it so hard to find a mascara that is good and actually does what it promises to do? Yes, I'm on the hunt for a good mascara still. I want volume, length, non smudging but not waterproof, affordable, and all the good stuff! (pic is from beautifulmakeupsearch.com)

9) Online shopping. It's seriously addicting! Possibly more addicting than real shopping! That's kind of scary. My current fave sites to shop: amiclubwear.com, ardenb.com, amazon.com

10) Skype. Skype and my webcam have made this time away from my husband so much easier. Even though he's 13 hours in advance, we've worked out a schedule where we can chat thru webcam and see each other. I'm happy to say that he's still the first person I talk to when I get up and the last person I talk to before I go to sleep. Thank God for high technology, huh? Or else you'd all be reading about me bitching about how much I miss my hubby and how much I hate the government.

Hope you ladies had a good read! Take care!

Goodies From CCO (Tampa, FL)

2009-09-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

I really HATE the word "haul" so I refuse to use that word on this post.

Anyways, since I've moved to Florida, I haven't done anything much to explore my new town. All I really do is take care of my son, go work out and and wait for my husband to call. I did dedicated ONE day to shopping though and that felt AMAZING! While my husband was still here, he took me to Tampa's outlets and the first store I went to was CCO, of course. The CCO's in Florida (and every other state, I'm sure) are sooo much better than the ones in California. What's up with that?

I spent just a little under $100 on these goodies:

1. MAC amplified lipstick in Up Note--a peachy nude color. It reminds me of L'oreal's Colour Riche in Tawny.

2. MAC Shadowy Lady quad--OMG, I'm sooo glad I finally found this. After watching so many makeup tutorials on YouTube with this quad, I searched the CCO stores in South California and Las Vegas. Now I have it :D :D I'm deciding on whether I should go back and get the Tempting quad...

3. MAC Hello Kitty beauty powder in Pretty Baby--This is also hard to find in California so I snatched it right up!

4. MAC MSF Blush in Nuance--I don't know why this is in a CCO already. It's gorgeous. It looks very shimmery but when applied, it's very pretty on. I love the coral color. I like this better than my MSF Petticoat.

5. MAC Pearlglide eyeliner in Fly-by-blu--I haven't tried this but I know it's a really pretty deep blue. I kinda wish I had gotten the purple (Rave) one though.

6. MAC eyeshadow in Mink & Sable (Starflash collection)--Very pretty olive green color. I've been wanting an eyeshadow color like this for awhile and I wish CCO sold pan eyeshadows; it would save me so much time from depotting these eyeshadows!

Well, I definitely plan on going back to get more MAC goodies. I just wish hurrican season was over because I hate driving in the rain. And if you think California rain is bad, you'll hate Florida rain. It's the kind of rain where you can't even see anything on the road. Not even the car in front of you. So of course, being from California, I'm driving half the speed limit and pissing everyone off!! HAHA!

Okay have an awesome week, ladies! XOXO

Review on AMIClubwear.com

2009-08-31T18:28:00.000-07:00

I've been hearing SO MUCH about this fashion site called amiclubwear.com & at first, I was very hesitant to buy anything even though the trendy clothing and affordable prices were very tempting! Plus, I've never been an online shopper...If I can't try it on and pay cash for it, then forget. However, being married to an online shopping addict, I caved in. After seeing so many reviews about this site on YouTube, I decided to try it out.

I like so many things on that site! But I didn't want to get everything I wanted all at once in case they decided to scam me. I picked out two "2-fer" tank dresses and that was it. These types of dresses are very popular and very cute on! Here are the two dresses I got (pictures are straight from the site):

$29.99

$25.99
I LOVE my new dresses and I can't wait to purchase more items from this site. The material isn't super high quality but it's just as good as the material from Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, etc. In my opinion, their sizes run kind of big but maybe it's because I don't have big boobs like the model HAHA! Shipping was free since it was over $50 and the best part is, there's NO SALES TAX!! I love that! One thing I love about Florida is that sales tax is next to nothing compared to California. Whoo Hoooo! Well I hope you ladies all find something for you at amiclubwear.com and share about what you think! Have a good week! xoxo

Products I'm Using Right Now

2009-08-29T18:16:00.001-07:00

I saw this tag on Miss Natty's Beauty Diary & just wanted to do it too to share the things I'm currently using. I am currently trying to step away from expensive brand name products because I find that some of them don't work. And I am happy to have found cheaper drugstore products that worked better for me! I wanted to take pictures of everything but I just moved, the bathroom is a mess and I'm running out of memory space on my camera (thats what happens when you have a baby haha he takes up everything!) I'm sure you can look up pictures for these products. Anyways here are my products:

Shampoo: Enjoy sulfate-free (with cleanse sensor) & Bath and Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar volumizing shampoo for extra clarifying.
Conditioner: Pantene Pro-V Full & Thick
Treatments Enjoy Leave-in Conditioner Spray
Styling Products: Got 2 B Guardian Angel flat iron heat protector spray, Enjoy Shine n Smooth serum, GVP volume booster spray (dupe for CHI volume boost) from Sally's, Enjoy Extra Firm Hold hairspray
Styling Tools: Conair Pro Gold series hair dryer, Corioliss leopard flat iron, and my curling iron has no brand.

Shower Gel: Dove Beauty Body Wash
Body Moisturizer: St. Ives Vitamin E Moisturizer
Deodorant: Lady Speed Stick in Orchid Blossom
Fake Tan: Tanwise Self-tanning Mousse from Sally's
Facial Cleanser: Mario Badescu Acne Facial Cleanser, Olay Deep Cleansing Foam wash to remove make-up

Primer: Boots No. 7 Mattifying Base
Foundation: Revlon Colorstay Mineral Mousse in light/medium
Concealer: Revlon Colorstay Blemish Concealer in light (for my under eyes) and Revlon Age Defying Spa concealer for blemishes and red spots
Powder: MAC MSF Natural in Medium Plus
Blush: MAC Pink Swoon and MAC Fleur Power
Bronzer: MAC Golden bronzer
Highlighter: MAC Iridescent Powder in Verve-Vacious from the Fafi Collection

Eyeshadow Base: Urban Decay Primer Potion
Eyeshadows: MAC Sable, MAC Satin Taupe
Eyeliner: Max Factor Crayon Traceur in Night Club (does not smudge!)
Eyelash Curler: Shu Umera
Mascara: L'oreal Extra Volume mascara
Brows: MAC brow set in Mink and Ardell brow powder in Taupe

Lip Conditioner: Lypsyl lip moisturizer stick (the best!)
Lipstick: MAC Way to Love, MAC Plink & Victoria's Secret Perfect Lipstick in Satin Sheets
Lipgloss: NYX Mega Shine in Beige, Clinique Kitten Pink lipgloss

Nail Color: China Glaze Shocking Pink Neon (very bright neon pink)

I would love to read about what everyone else is using!

Update & Upcoming Posts

2009-08-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

Okay so I haven't been on here since I moved to Florida. I've been busy settling in and just spending time with my husband before he leaves to Japan. He leaves tomorrow and I've obviously been a weepy mess just thinking about it. I'm sad that he will miss out so much during Jason's first year. And it's just hard, in general, to be apart from my husband. He's my everything.

Well, other than that, I'm just loving life in Florida. The weather is very hot and humid. It's hurricane season so it's been raining hard everyday but there's something about the rain that's very calming to me. This place is very different from Orange County California...people are soo much nicer, it's quieter here and very simple. I've spent a few hours at the pool with my little baby boy and he's even gone into the pool for a little splash.

I did go shopping with my husband in Tampa and Orlando and bought a few things from CCO & Arden B so I'll be doing a post on that. Then I ordered a few items from AMIclubwear.com--my new favorite online store! They have a really cute trendy selection of clothing and the prices are fairly cheap. I'll post some of those pics up too. I've also started getting back into the gym. Before I got pregnant, I started doing CrossFit in California and of course, as soon as I lost weight and got my bikini body, I got pregnant. Well I'm back in action at Crossfit Lakeland and it's been going great. I'll definitely be blogging more about fitness.

Well I hope everyone is having a better week than I am. I'm going to savor every minute with my husband before the Marine Corps takes him away. Good night, ladies!

*picture is from http://www.theodoresworld.net/pcfreezone/MarineImage2.jpg *

Good Bye California

2009-08-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

Memoirs of a U.S. Marine Wife

Well, my bags are packed and I'm ready to go...

My husband is driving his car to Florida tomorrow, so he can leave it there while he's in Japan. And the baby & I are flying to Florida too. I'm so nervous. I've heard many horror stories about bringing newborns on planes. I just hate how people give you dirty looks as if the baby is crying 'cause it's your fault. Whatever...

I'm going to say this once and once only. I hate the Marine Corps!! They really do try to screw families over. They only gave us a month and a half notice that my husband's leaving so we had to try and sell all our furniture. Some things we didn't even get a chance to sell so we just gave it away. What a waste of money.

And what's with check-in baggage fees? Sheesh! Here I am trying to save money by cramming all my clothes into 2 bags. And the baby's stuff is in my carry-on. Plus, I had to ship the rest of my stuff by UPS. That costed a good $300.

I hope this year goes by fast, because after that, we'll be Marine Corps free! Well, good bye California...Florida, here we come!

High End Products I Regret Buying

2009-08-10T14:25:00.001-07:00

I hate how products promise all sorts of great results and then when you try them, you find out they're actually horrible products. I know not everything works on everybody the same way but there are some products that just don't work on anyone! And it's such a waste of money. Before I knew the goodness of makeupalley.com, I used to be such a sucker for expensive brands that promised all kinds of good things. Now, I always make sure to read reviews on products before shelling out my hard earned money on things that will let me down. Here is a list of a few high-end products that were a total waste of my time.

Pureology Volume Shampoo:There's something about sulfate-free shampoos that I hate. In my opinion, they suck at cleaning hair. They leave my hair very greasy after a few hours from my shower and even when they promise volume, it's just a lie. This was about $25 and for $25, I expected a lot of volume. This product was just a huge letdown. My hair felt sooo dirty that after 3 days of using it, I was practically begging for a shampoo that contained sulfate!

Sephora Brand Primer:This also did nothing for my face. My shine came back in less than an hour and by the end of class, my face was super oily. Also, the way it felt on my skin was just uncomfortable. It comes in a teeny tiny tube and costs around $18.

Benefit Bad Gal Lash:For $19 dollars, this is probably the worst mascara I've ever tried. I was tempted into buying this because of the sexy name and I thought it was going to give me sky high lashes and thick volume. It did nothing. The color wasn't even dark enough to make my lashes look like they had mascara on. Total waste of money.

Laura Mercier Oil-Free Foundation Primer: The MUA at Sephora recommended this for me and said it was a best-seller. I don't know why it was a best-seller when I literally did NOTHING for my face. Having this under my foundation was just as good as having NO primer on whatsoever. And for the $42 (including tax) that I paid for this product, it really sucked.

Thank God for makeupalley.com, right?

xoxo
JOSIE

July Favorites

2009-08-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

It's kind of late in the month to be doing July favorites (time flies by when you're married with a baby!) but I've always wanted to do these favorite blogs. I see the gurus on YouTube do it all the time and it looks so fun to see what other girls like to use.

The picture I took doesn't give you a good idea of the colors of these products but trust me, these products are BEAUTIFUL!!!

1. Revlon Colorstay Mineral Mousse Foundation. This is still my fave everyday foundation. I've gotten tanner so I need to update on the color but I used to use Light/Medium. The coverage to medium to full. It goes on matte and I just love how it feels on my face.

2. MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Medium Plus. This is the perfect powder to set my foundation. The color is great is in between light and medium so I feel like I can wear this in winter and summer. I like just buffing this on my foundation with my kabuki brush.

3. MAC powder blush in Fleur Power. I've been using this color for years and although it seems frighteningly bright in the package, it's very pretty on. Its a coraly pink and perfect for everyday looks.

4. MAC powder blush in Pink Swoon (not shown). I didn't take a pic of this one because it's in my palette, but it's also a great color for all skin tones.

5. Lypsyl lip moisturizer. My cousin introduced me to this chapstick. It's all natural and its such a great lip moisturizer with the cooling effect after application. I have dry lips and most lip conditioner brands (Chapstick, Nivea, MAC, Palmers) don't do the job. THIS ONE DOES. I even use this on my baby's lips and it works wonders! I also love the cute packaging it comes in.

6. NXY Megashine lipgloss in Beige. Very shiny and smells great. The price is great too ($2.50 at this clothing store in San Diego!)

7. Clinique glosswear in Kitten Pink. This has been my favorite for a long time. I don't know where else they sell it except for CCO's. I've tried NARS Turkish Delight and even Neutrogena's Groove, but neither one looked cute on my skintone. This Clinique one is so much better. I use it to add mega shine to my nude/pink lipsticks and my lips look very glossy. No other lipgloss has topped this one!

8. Sinful Colors nailpolish in Beautiful Girl. A cute barbie pink color. I found this at Walgreens for $2.

9. MAC lipsticks in Honeylove & Way to Love. Currently my two favorite MAC lipsticks right now. Way to Love is limited so I'm thinking of buying a few more before they run out! Honeylove is in the matte collection. It's the perfect nude color for me. Kinda drying though.

10. Enjoy Super Hold Hairspray. My favorite brand of haircare. This hairspray adds shine, volume and it smells so good. People think I'm wearing perfume. I wish they sold it in more stores though. I can only find this at professional salons.

11. Aldo aviators. I know this isn't a beauty product but I just love aviators right now. I got mine at Aldo (on sale for buy 2 for $20) and I can't leave the house without them!

What are your summer favorite beauty products?

Mario Badescu: My New Acne Facial Cleanser

2009-08-07T17:41:00.000-07:00

After hearing so many good things about Mario Badescu's products, I caved in and decided to give it a try as well. I am not a fan of shopping online so it took me 3 different stores to finally find this cleanser! Don't you hate that?? ULTA carries their line but they were OUT (of course!). The nearest Nordstrom to my house didn't carry it and so I had to go to a Nordstrom 30 minutes away just to find this thing!

I'm going to try it out for maybe a month to see how it works. I've used it for two days and I haven't seen a difference in my acne but I do notice that my skin is tighter. After having a baby, my skin is trying to get back to normal with all the change in hormones, my diet and my sleeping patterns. I used to break out a lot more when I was in high school and I tried ProActiv, Murad, prescription stuff, even Clean & Clear Advantage (which surprisingly, was the one that worked the best!). During my pregnancy, I didn't break out at all. Lucky me. Now that I have my baby, I'm getting small zits here and there. Nothing big. But I still dream of clear, less oily skin. Hopefully this will help!

I also want to try the drying lotion and cucumber lotin, which looks more like a toner. Anyways, I'll update on this bad boy in one month :-)

Have a wonderful weekend!
xoxo
JOSIE

VS Perfect Lipstick--Satin Sheets

2009-08-05T18:15:00.000-07:00

Victoria's Secret finally got their make-up back and today I had to go check it out. They have a few new lipsticks and lipglosses & they were sooo gorgeous. This one--Satin Sheets--caught my eye. I swatched it at the store and fell in love. It's such a great color on my olive skin-tone. The shimmer is very pretty...not overly-cheap looking. And I was surprised that their makeup was so affordable considering the fact that their bras and panties are freakin' expensive (in my humble opinion, VS lingerie sucks. They rip in the washer and don't even last long) ANYWAYS, I am in love with their makeup. I want to try their foundation primer and eyeshadow primer too. The concealer palette also looked nice. It reminded me of MUFE's camo palette.

I'm definitely going back to get more goodies. This is my new fave lipstick next to MAC's Way to Love l/s.

20 Questions

2009-08-03T13:06:00.000-07:00

I was watching YouTube and all my favorite gurus were doing this 20 Q's tag so I thought I'd do it too. I wasn't tagged to do this but it looks fun, so whatever :-)

1. Thing you cannot leave the house without:
Besides the obvious like car keys, wallet, purse/diaper bag, cellphone etc...I can't leave the house without my day planner, a pair of sunglasses and hand sanitizer (I can't live without hand sanitizer!)

2. Favorite brand(s) of makeup:
Of course, MAC and my other favorite is Revlon

3. Favorite flower:
It's a cross between stargazers, orchids and alstroemerias. I used to work at a flower shop in high school so I just love flowers in general

4. Favorite clothing store:
Definitely Arden B but I sometimes find cute stuff in Charlotte Russe.

5. Favorite perfume:
Versace Bright Crystals. I also loooove Pearberry from Bath & Body Works. And the Victoria's Secret Very Sexy Now from 2008 Spring collection. I only wear the Victoria's Secret one when I'm on vacation though.

6. Heels or flats:
I live in California so I love wearing flip flops. I own a few pairs. I also like high-heeled boots for fall but I hardly ever wear heels (pumps, stilettos, etc)I'm too clumsy to be walking around in heels.

7. Do you make good grades?
Yes, I think so. My grades were better in high school but now in college, I'd have to say my grades are pretty good too.

8. Favorite colors:
Turquoise and yellow. I love wearing yellow. Turquoise is just my all-time fave color

9. Do you drink energy drinks:
Nope. Never have, never will.

10. Do you drink juice?
Yes, my favorite is grape juice.

11. Do you like swimming?
Definitely. I hate competition swimming but I love swimming as long as it's in a pool. I don't do beach/lake water!

12. Do you eat fries with a fork?
I don't eat fries.

13. Favorite moisturizer:
Palmer's Cocoa Butter for my body & Olay age-defying, plus a little bit of Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen for my face. All 3 of those products smell soooo good!

14. Do you want to get married later on in life?
I'm already married, but when I wasn't married, I always knew I'd marry someone someday.

15. Do you get mad easily?
I get irritated by stupid people (bad drivers, gossipers, politicians and those annoying sales reps that walk up to you in the mall) but I get over it. I don't go crazy mad or hold grudges.

16. Are you into ghost-hunting?
Who is?

17. Any phobias?
Many! Spiders, worms, bugs, fleas...basically any kind of creepy crawler...big dogs, needles, ghosts, aliens, the dark, being alone, octopus, germs and speaking in public.

18. Do you bite your nails?
I used to. But when my husband & I first started going out, he helped my quit.

19. Have you ever had a near death experience?
I've been in a few car accidents that weren't my fault, but they weren't near-death experiences.

20. Do you drnk coffee?
No, I drink tea occasionally but never coffee. I'm boring. I drink milk and water a lot.

Thanks for reading! I hope you guys take the time out to do this tag too! xoxo

Summer Fashion: Florals

2009-07-24T12:36:00.000-07:00

I am loving the colorful floral clothing of this season! Since working on my post-baby body and summer tan, I've been more into fashion lately. And what better way to show off that tan than wearing bright multi-colored pieces?

Here are a few items I'm drooling over:

Forever 21
$19.80

Forever 21
$12.50

Arden B.
$78.00

Okay so the last one isn't flowery but I just love the color! I'm not going anywhere fancy anytime soon, but I would just love to have this in my closet...in case my own husband ever decides to take me to the Marine Corps ball!

Anyone else got a little flower power passion on their wardrobe wish list?

Baby Jason Update

2009-07-23T15:23:00.000-07:00

I'm so fortunate to be surrounded by beautiful men...I LOVE MY TWO BOYS!

As of today, my son is one month and 3 days old. Nothing could have prepared me enough for what I'm feeling today. I'm exhausted, busy and completely head-over-heels in love! He really is growing so fast. He was born at 7 pounds 8 ounces. Today he is 10 pounds 4 ounces, in size one diapers and drinking 5 ounces per feeding. I can hardly keep up with the little man!

He's smiling now--mostly in his sleep and giggling too. He loves to be in his swing at night. And he likes listening to Carrie Underwood with his mommy! My husband and I are perfectly in love with him! I feel pretty lucky to have such a good baby. He doesn't cry much and he sleeps about 3 to 4 hours between feedings-sometimes 5! He only wakes up twice during nights to feed and change his diaper. After that, he's back to dreamland...

It's such a blessing to watch him grow! xoxo

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Trio in Triple Fusion

2009-07-22T17:31:00.000-07:00

This was the only item I bought from the Colour Craft collection last week. I think the whole collection was gorgeous but a little too shimmery for me. I have pretty oily skin with some imperfections and I believe that the shimmer tends to highlight those imperfections making them more obvious.

Triple Fusion is such a beautiful trio, I just couldn't help but buy it. I do have to be careful with the amount that I apply and the glitter is pretty noticeable upclose but color pay-off is great. I like using the pink shade for my cheeks and then using the gold shade to highlight.

The lipglosses from this collection were cute too but I'm the type of gal who gets bored of lipglosses easily and NEVER finishes a tube, so I decided to not get any. I'm happy with my purchase though!

TAG: Seven Random Facts

2009-07-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by the gorgeous Mrs. Westmoreland to write seven facts about myself. Thanks for tagging me! I found it pretty hard to find 7 interesting random facts but here it goes...

1. I like library books. First off, they're free. And secondly, I like the way they smell!

2. I am part Vietnamese & part French. Fluent in Viet but I can't speak one word of French.

3. I'm germ-a-phobic. I remind my husband to wash his hands every ten minutes. And I have lots of anti-bac stuff on hand.

4. My fave foods are spaghetti and sushi. Not together, of course!

5. I've lived in OC, California my whole life, but I already know where I want to retire when I get older. Either Simi Valley, CA or Boca Raton, Florida. And of course, I want to live there with my husband and pugs!

6. I don't watch tv. I get my current events from the internet and the gossip that goes on at my salon haha! Yes, we get poitical updates there too!

7. I'm really shy but I am probably one of the nicest girls you'll ever meet. I like shopping for people. Meeting new people. & giving advice. I guess I'm very motherly to everyone.

Many thanks to Mrs. Westmoreland for tagging me. Check out her cute blog at http://xoxomrsw.blogspot.com

Okinawa, Japan

2009-07-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

Memoirs of a U.S. Marine Wife

After many months of our strong prayers and much anticipation, the good ol' USMC finally gave us our new orders. Unfortunately, they weren't exactly what we had in mind. My husband found out that he'll be stationed in Okinawa, Japan for a year. And I wouldn't mind Japan at all, except I won't be accompanying him. The military only allows families to join service members when the orders are for 3 years and up. This is only for a year (the longest year of my life!) so our newborn son and I will remain in the States.

I've been a weeping mess after hearing this. We just moved into our dream home. I spent so much time decorating the baby's nursery. We just had a baby--I'm already emotional from all the postpartum hormones and now this? The climax of the situation?...He's leaving NEXT month! August 31st. Our anniversary. Oh, goody!

I have always been a clingy person. Yes, it's the worst thing for a woman to admit that she's clingy to her man. BUt it's not out of insecurity or anything. I just don't like to share him with the Marine Corps :-) The only good part of this situation--if there's any good part at all--is that he'll be able to visit and I'll be able to go visit him in Japan too. It's somewhat exciting since I love to travel. I just don't know about flying across the world with a newborn.

As for the baby and I, we will be moving to Orlando, Florida probably a week before my husband ships out to Japan. Like I'm really going to stay here alone with a new baby. This is all happening so fast. But I'm putting all my faith in God because I know He has a plan for my family. I trust that He knows what He's doing with our lives. And I think distance will strengthen our relationship. Whatever the case, I'm willing to stand by my man--even if it's from hundreds of miles away!

Claudia Stevens Eyelash Thickener

2009-07-10T12:27:00.001-07:00

I have been using this stuff for almost a month now and I'm not sure if it's working yet. I've heard good reviews about it. It's vitamin-enriched formula is supposed to make your lashes healthier, therefore, making them thicker and longer. I apply a few coats to my lashes before bed time and I've definitely noticed that they feel softer. So I guess the conditioners in this stuff is really helpful. I will admit that I've missed a few nights of applying this--it's hard to remember stuff when you have a newborn :)

I did take a picture of my lashes when I started using this stuff (June 14th) so I guess in a few more weeks I'll update with before and after pics. So far, I like it. I was under $5 at Sally's beauty supply...which is so much better than paying a hundred something dollars for the department store eyelash thickeners!

The only complaint is the wand. I feel like it doesn't get enough product on it, so that's why I always have to apply a few coats. And although the formula doesn't sting my eyes, it definitely makes them runny at night.

Oh well, we'll see how this baby works in a few weeks!

Drugstore Faves

2009-07-10T06:45:00.001-07:00

Here are a few products that have worked for me AND my budget. Besides MAC, I have always been a fan of Revlon. I find that their foundations work better for my combo/oily skin & since my skin color changes through seasons ( I also go thru phases of tanning), I find it easier on my wallet when I switch foundation colors.

1. Revlon Age Defying Spa Concealer in Light/Medium: $11; works best on blemishes & scars--I don't recommend this for under-eye circles though. Easily blends onto skin w/ my finger
2. Revlon Colorstay Foundation with Softflex for Combo/Oily Skin in Golden Beige:$13; works better than MAC foundations on my skin; better color selection; medium-buildable coverage.
3. Revlon Colorstay Mineral Matte Mousse Foundation in Light/Medium:$14; Best foundation I've ever tried; Blends well, full coverage, matte finish; best applied by fingers.
4. Boots No. 7 Mattifying Make-up Base:$10 (only at Target); works better for me than primers from MAC, Sephora & Laura Mercier; a little goes a long way; you really have to blend it tinto the skin because it goes on very white.

1. L'oreal Colour Riche lipstick in Tawny: $8; a nice nude/pink color; long-lasting & non-drying formula.
2. Rimmel lipstick in Airy Fairy: $5; Great everyday pink color; long-lasting, shiny finish & doesn't have the typical lipstick smell
3. Sally Hansen Prep & Perfect Lip Care: $10; Primer for lips; nuetralizes your own lip color so the true color of the lipstick shows better (I have very pigmented lips); prevents feathering and bleeding of lipstick.

1. Ardell Brow Powder in Taupe $4; really colors in my eyebrows beautifully; applied with MAC's small angled brush
2. Revlon Colorstay liquid eyeliner in Blackest Black:$10; goes on in a fine line or thick line depending on pressure; not runny like most liquid liners; no flaking and it lasts all day
3. (not pictured) L'oreal Extra Volume Collagen Mascara in Blackest Black $8; hands-down the BEST mascara I've ever owned (better than mac, dior, benefit etc); very black; gives lots of length and volume after one coat; reminds me of MAC's plush lash mascara

L'oreal True Match Super-blendable blush in Tender Rose: $11; looks shimmery in the pic but goes on beatifully; blendable; comparable to MAC's Dame blush or Well Dressed; I depotted it but it comes in a small compact with a brush & mirror

Swatch: MAC Solar Bits in Bronzescape

2009-07-09T21:24:00.000-07:00

My newest OBSSESSION

Shopping At Arden B!

2009-07-09T16:46:00.000-07:00

Arden B and BEBE are seriously my favorite stores! It's hard to find cute clothes anywhere else!

So today I took little Jason on his first trip to the mall. Yes, I'm training him early haha! I picked up a few summery tops...I'm so glad to be back to my pre-pregnancy size!! I don't have to wear my hubby's t-shirts anymore! HAHA

Here are the things that I picked up today:

Marilyn Seamless Embossed Top in Sea Breeze: $9.99

Ava Ruched Tube in Wisteria: $12.00

Striped Dolman Tunic: $28.00

Crinkled Ruffle Top: $28.00

They are having a really big sale right now, so I had to take advantage! :-) All clearance items are buy one, get the other item for only $5. And I just loooove their rewards program. Every $200 spent, you get $20 off your next purchase!

Best Therapy for Baby Blues!

2009-07-06T17:16:00.000-07:00

It has been 16 days since I had my baby and although I'm thrilled to be a new mommy, I can't help but feel emotional at random times of the day. I think it's a mix of sleep deprivation, hormones and just drastic changes in my body. I call it the "baby blues", where one minute I'm happy and the next minute, I'm just super weepy. Being a mommy is hard work, especially when you have a husband who's always working and not able to help you out as much as he'd like to.

Well, today since the hubbs was off from work, he watched Jason while I got ready and hit the mall. I only live 15 minutes away from the mall, but with a newborn, 15 minutes might as well be an hour because there's sooo much to do before hitting the road. I only went to the mall to return a top buuuuut...I HAD to go to MAC and get this lipstick that I've been eyeing for weeks. "Way to Love" from the Rose Romance Collection. It's soo pretty! I also picked up "Creme Cup", "Speed Dial" and "Jubilee"...these lipsticks have been on my wishlist for awhile too. I'm so drawn to the Cremesheen lipsticks.

(Way to Love, Creme Cup, Speed Dial, & Jubilee)

Then I caved in and picked up "Margin" blush. Why not? It's summertime and I need new summery blushes to fill up my palette. I definitely feel better now :-)

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T15:09:00.000-07:00

I don't need holidays like today to remind me of how important my Marine is in my life. But I'm so thankful that he is safe at home with our son and me. I can't imagine life without him. I feel so fortunate that while many military wives are spending their holidays alone, I can be with my hunny. So how ever you decide to spend your holiday, have a good one. You know how I'll be spending mine...with my wonderful, little American family.

Thank God for Spanx!

2009-06-27T18:19:00.001-07:00

I honestly don't know what I would do without these life-saving body shapers! I have been a die-hard fan of Spanx for about 2 years and I can't say enough good things about this hoisery line. My pre-pregnancy size is size 2, but even at that size, I wanted to improve my body shape under form fitting jeans and dresses. These are a miracle. They conceal everything from my upper waistline to my mid-thigh area.

After I delivered my baby and was sent home from the hospital, my first task was digging through my long-neglected lingerie stash looking for my Spanx. I've heard of many women (including celebrities) bouncing back to their pre-pregnancy bodies by using girdles, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to at least try. I've been wearing my Spanx now for 5 days (day & night--even to bed) since being home and I've seen a huge difference. My tummy isn't as prego-looking and I fit back into my jeans. When I have it on, I have people telling me I don't even look like I just had a baby!

I definitely recommend Spanx, even if your goal isn't to get back into your pre-pregnancy clothes. They are super affordable as well. The one I love is the "Higher Power" design and it runs for $36 at department stores and at www.spanx.com

I'm A Mommy!

2009-06-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

Born June 20 2009. 8:25am. 7 lbs 8 oz. 19.5 inches

So on Friday while I was posting my pregnancy update & product review on the Nivea Goodbye Cellulite gel-cream, I was having contractions. I just didn't know it at the time...haha! My back was just aching so badly and I was just sitting around waiting for my hubby to get home from work.

As the day progressed, I finally caught on that I was going into labor. My husband and I started to keep track of my contractions. They were 4 minutes apart and 45 seconds long...yes, it HURT! I went into the hospital at 9:30 pm. I didn't plan on getting an epidural but at 1 am, I was already 6 centimeters dilated, and I wanted every drug available on the planet! Haha. The epidural was absolutely heaven-sent!! My water broke and by then my contractions were back-to-back--thank God for epidurals! My doctor decided to have me start pushing and seriously, not even 25 minutes had passed when the doctor told me to look down to see my beautiful son!

I can't explain the joy I felt when I saw him for the first time. I still look at him now and wonder how this small cutie could come out of me...I love watching him sleep and eat. Even his cries are cute!

We arrived home today at noon and I'm sooo happy to be home with my little family.

Pregnancy Update: 39 Weeks

2009-06-19T07:37:00.001-07:00

I am currently 39 weeks pregnant! Wow...it's been an amazing journey. My due date is Monday June 22nd & I'm already getting contractions. For those of you who are wondering, they aren't that painful yet. At first, they felt like period cramps and then they got a bit more intense, like the feeling you get when you really need to go to the bathroom. I'm not too nervous about the labor & deliver (we'll see! haha...I'm a big baby!) but I'm definitely not looking forward to the recovery process. I guess I'll have to live through it to know what it's really like but the stories I've heard weren't pretty.

I just can't wait to hold my son in my arms, so that I can be reassured that all this pain and waiting was worth it! Any day now, he will be here!

I finally finished painting the nursery furniture. His nursery theme is jungle babies. And my son's name is Jason :-)

I don't recommend using acrylic paint to paint furniture from IKEA. I find IKEA's products to be very cheaply-made, but being on a budget, I didn't feel like buying a whole new set of furniture. The dresser and side table were things we already had lying around. And the lamp was from a yardsale. I just spruced it up with some new paint and decorated it with wooden animal figures. The letter plaques were from Michaels (about $3 each letter) and I bought paint and some wooden animals to go with the theme...this is what nesting looks like hehe!

Nivea Goodbye Cellulite Gel Cream

2009-06-19T06:54:00.000-07:00

Last year, Nivea came out with a Goodbye Cellulite Challenge which was a 4-week program to help reduce the appearance of dimples by using Nivea Goodbye Cellulite products, eating healthier and staying fit.

I decided to give it a shot and I was so amazed at how fast I saw results. I tuned in on their website everyday for 4-weeks and followed their easy program. (www.nivea.com/goodbyecellulite) I didn't do the same exact workouts since I didn't find them as intense as the workouts I was used to but the program really did work for me! In four weeks, I noticed less dimples on my thighs (of ocurse, the program didn't get rid of all traces of cellulite within 4 weeks) and within 6 weeks I had achieved my goal weight. I lost a total of 14 pounds just before my family cruise and never felt better in my life.

I would definitely recommend the Nivea Goodbye Cellulite line to anyone who's willing to give it a shot. I know the line comes with a gel cream, dietary supplements (that I didn't try) and patches. I only used a few of the patches...I found them really inconvenient & they didn't stick to well to my thighs but I went through 2 bottles of the gel-cream and I really liked it. The fragrance it has smells like a department store perfume and it goes on really well. I think the gel bottles run for about $13 at CVS Pharmacy.

Gel cream directions for use: "Apply cream once or twice daily to thighs, buttocks and stomach, and use with Nivea Body Goodbye Cellulite Patches".

This year, I'm so anxious to have my baby and start getting back into shape. My hubby is also a fitness trainer on the side, so he's pretty anxious to help me as well :-) There's no doubt that I'll be getting a bottle of Nivea Goodbye Cellulite Gel Cream to help me get back into shape.

*NOTE: These products are formulated with L-carnitine, which help your body convert fat to energy, & they contain caffiene, which is why I'm waiting until after my pregancy to continue using them.

PS: I am also really anxious to try out the Soap & Glory Slimwear lotion which is a cream that claims to reduce the appearance of cellulite too. So far, I've only found it at Target but I'm definitely going to try it soon since I read a lot of good reviews about on makeupalley.com!

Tanwise Self-Tanning Mousse

2009-06-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

I used to use tanning beds a lot before I got pregnant. Not only was it unhealthy for my skin; it was getting to be really expensive (and so addicting!). To be safe, I started trying out self-tanners and even a few mystic tans (that were also becoming expensive). I went to Sally's to renew my membership and I found this wonderful product for $7.50. It was on sale so I'm not sure what the normal price is but considering that it's from Sally's, it can't be that expensive. I've been wanting to try St. Tropez self-tanner for awhile but I couldn't find it anywhere except online. I figured I'd give the Tanwise mousse a shot and WOW, I LOVED IT!

It doesn't have a nasty smell or a sticky feeling. It doesn't dry out my skin and it tans my skin immediately upon application. I even started using it on my face--no breakouts or irritaton; just a beautiful, natural-looking tan! I'm so glad I found this product that I probably won't be buying St. Tropez's $40 dollar tanner ever!

MAC Harmony Blush Dupe!

2009-06-12T18:39:00.000-07:00

So ever since I got pregnant, I've been feeling like my face just literally puffed up! And after watching so many fascinating & talented beauty gurus on youtube, I learned the secret of contouring. I was so excited to try these tricks.

I love MAC blushes and I was deciding between Harmony and Blunt since those were the more popular contouring colors (besides Emote, which is no where to be found!). But since I was just learning the tricks of contouring, I decided to get something from the drugstore to start off with. I was browsing all the blushes at CVS Pharmacy (my fave drugstore) and I saw that L'oreal was having a buy one, get one free sale on their face cosmetics. None of the blushes looked like Harmony or Blunt. But I decided to look at the True Match foundation powders and I picked up the darkest one available. It's called Cocoa and it's described as "super-blendable" which was good enough for me. It was about $11. Not bad. It contours beautifully on my NC30 skin! And it's definitely blendable.

Well just this week, I was at MAC picking out blushes and thought to myself, why not just buy Harmony too?? So I bought it and when I was putting it into my blush palette, I thought it looked A LOT like the L'oreal Cocoa powder foundation. They are exactly the same! The only difference was the price and size. The MAC one was $15 and in a smaller pan. The L'oreal one was $11 and in a bigger pan (about 1/3 bigger!) I depotted the L'oreal one and made my own custom palette with non-MAC blushes but it originally came in a compact with a mirror and sponge applicator.

Here are some comparison photos!

Both of them contour and blend really well! So if you're not sure on getting Harmony, then I highly recommend getting the L'oreal Cocoa one and trying that one out first! Bring it on, puffy preggo cheeks!!

Love,
Josie

Decisions, Decisions: Jason's Homecoming Outfit

2009-06-10T23:54:00.000-07:00

I LOOOOOVE clothes and I can't wait to be able to dress my little man up in cute little outfits!
I'm still trying to decide what his "homecoming outfit" should be...

I have two outfits picked out already but I don't know which one should be his first.

This one has little lions on it and I like it because it has the mittens and socks already attached. The only thing I need to find is a matching hat. Plus, the outfit matches his nursery theme: Jungle Babies!

The second outfit has little pug puppies on it and a pug onesie from Grandma J. I am so in love with pugs and this shirt is just sooo cute. I'm thinking about framing it after he wears it. I also found matching socks, a hat, sweatpants and mittens to go with it. Ugh! I can't wait for him to be born so we can show-off all his cute clothes! :-)

((INTRO))

2009-06-10T23:13:00.000-07:00

My name is Josie-short for the French name Josephine. I am a Californian, conservative, christian, college student and proud military wifey. I am in love with anything to do with beauty and right now the most beautiful thing in my life is my relationship with my loved ones.

I have finally caved in and decided to start an online blog mainly to update far-away family members and friends about my adventures of motherhood, college, military life and enjoying my 20's. Plus, I just LOOOOOOVE to share my thoughts and feelings about everything (ie: vent).

There are no words to describe how blessed I feel right now while waiting for my little bundle of joy to enter this world. Words also can not explain how lucky I feel to have such a wonderful man in my life; one who takes care of me more than he has to, listens to my triumphs & frustrations, teaches me to become a better woman & friend and one who gives me a hand when I'm feeling down or feeling wayyyy too big to get off the couch :-)

I am an average 22-year old daddy's princess & college student, turned military housewife, turned mommy-to-be. And I'm excited for what the future holds for my little family & me.

Thanks for reading,

xoxo
Josie