Yummy Salmon that EVERYONE will LOVE...even your kids!!

So in my household, we don't eat pork or beef. Only chicken, turkey, and fish...mainly salmon though! This recipe is SUPER easy and tastes so good that kids will ask for more (even my kids ask for seconds). If you love salmon and are looking for new ways to make it OR you want to try something different out so that you can get your kids to eat salmon, then PLEASE continue reading below :) Okay, so FIRST you need 2-3 salmon fillets. We buy ours pre-packaked from Costco. They come sealed and skin off. I grab 3 out of the bag (I use 2 for dinner that night and use the other for my lunch the next day) so depending on how big or small your family is, you can decide how many pieces of salmon you will use. You need: 1/4 Cup of Dark Brown Sugar 1/4 Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil 3 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce 2 Tablesppons of Lemon Juice 2 Tablespoons of Water 2 Cloves of Garlic Lay salmon down in a tupperware that has a lid to it and is deep enough to hold slamon and the marinate. Once you have laid salmon fillets down, please pour evenly the marinate all over salmon fillets. Once you have done this, cover up fillets with lid and place in fridge for half-hour, then flip fillets over and wait another 5-10 minutes. Once fillet has soaked up for about 35 minutes. Place fillets in oven on 350 degrees for about half an hour to an hour (always checking, fillet cooks fast). OR place fillet on a small skillet pan on top of the stove on low-medium heat for about 20 minutes or so. Again slamon cooks pretty fast. You can garnish with some finely chooped garlic and it's done :) I usually serve this with brown rice and fresh salad and my home-made vingarette that you can find on this blog! Enjoy!!

It's Been Awhile

I have been M.I.A for awhile now. :( So much has been going on (usual). Kids went back to school. Can't believe my oldest is in 2nd grade now and my youngest is in Pre-K!! Aahhh, they aren't really babies anymore, but they will always be my baaaaabies forever and ever, lol. So yeah, school has been going on, my daughter takes ballet classes every Thursday until mid-December...so with school, homework, cooking, baths, ballet classes, play-dates...I am SUPER busy. What mom isn't though! I wanted to share with you all some pics of what's been happening on my end of the woods! Enjoy, and I will be back with more posts!! Love you all, xx

My Home-Made Salad Dressing

I'm baaack! It's been almost a month I think since my last post? This summer has been fun. I keep busy every day by taking my 2 babies out and about...museums, parks, beaches, or we just chill here at my place ;) Can't believe that summer is almost over, eeeeeek! :( My son isn't looking forward to it. He's going into the 2nd grade, so I told him that he really needs to buckle down this year and FOCUS. I don't know how many readers out there have children school aged in the NYC public schools, but this aint a JOKE! Kinda feel bad for him, lol. I don't remember all this craziness when I was his age in school :/ I could go ON and on, but this isn't what this post is for. This post is all about this home-made salad dressing that I make. I don't even buy salad dressing anymore (only if I know that someone is coming over, I will buy one or two). BOTH of my kids LOVE this dressing, they ask for seconds of salad every-time. What parent wouldn't love for their kids to ask for seconds of veggies? :) Okay, so here is what you need. This is SUPER easy and simple. You need: 1. Vinegar 2. Olive Oil (or another oil that you like to use, I prefer OO because its healthier. Other suggestions could be coconut oil, and canola oil) 3. Onion (I use red, but either could work just as well) 4. 1 Clove of Garlic (or buy chopped garlic that they sell in some whole food stores) 4. A small round Tupperware with lid 5. Dicing knife (Any knife will work just fine though. But a dicing one will get garlic and onion thinly sliced to how you want) 6. Spoon So after you gather all those things, start dicing HALF of a onion into fine, thin pieces. Continue to do the same thing to the garlic. The more garlic that you dice up, the more zing the dressing will have. I LOVE zing, so I use a lot of garlic. Okay...so now you should have onion and garlic chopped. Grab that small Tupperware and place chopped onion and garlic in the tub ;) Now...take about 1 1/2 cup of vinegar and pour into the Tupperware. Covering onions and garlic. You can add less or more vinegar depending on how many people will be served. I always eye the amount that I make. Next, add in 1 teaspoon/1 tablespoon of olive oil. Okay, so now all the ingredients are in there =) Take your spoon and stir everything around for about 20 seconds...and you're DONE! So easy, super simple. Depending on how much you make, you can cover this up and save it for tomorrow nights dinner. Here at my place, we have salad almost EVERY night, so I will make enough to save for tomorrow. Let me know if you TRY this at home and how it turns out! Like I said, my hubby and kids love this!! **The picture below is a friend of mine who tried the recipe and posted it and tagged me on FB. So this is thanks to her ;)**

Vinegared Cucumber Dish

I found some FREE time =) Whoot whoot. This is going to be VERY quick because the state of my apartment is offically a disaster zone! 0_o I blame this on my kids, lol. Anyways, whenever I am hungry and I want something light to eat, I ALWAYS find myself making this quick and easy dish. Quick and easy is like 5 minutes MAX. With summer here, my kids out of school (they love this too) I like to make this as a treat OR a veggie side for dinner. Let's get to it... It's vinegared cucumbers!!

ALL you need are the following; 1. 1 or 2 large cucumbers 2. Vinegar 3. Ground Pepper 4. Ground Garlic 5. Ground Onion 5. Tupperware that is LARGE enough to hold cucumbers and vinegar (pref with a lid). 6. Peeler (peel off skin of cucumber) 7. Knife (Veggie cutting knife, if you have) **5 and 6 are OPTIONAL** (You don't need to add chopped onion, I prefer the EXTRA zing. You also don't need to peel off skin of cucumber, BUT I choose to). Okay, FIRST thing first...have all items close by. Wash off cucumber(s) in luke-hot water for 10 seconds. Grab your peeler, and peel of entire skin of cucumber. Rinse again... Grab veggie cutting knife and thinly cut cucumber from front to back. Chop off the front end and back ends though. With Tupperware, add cucumbers and 1 1/2 cup of vinegar. Add in 1 teaspoon-1 tablespoon of ground pepper (this depends on your liking). Add in 1 teaspoon-1 tablespoon of ground garlic. Add in 1 teaspoon of ground onion (optional). Grab a spoon, and mix the cucumbers, vinegar, pepper, garlic, and onion so that the cucumbers get soaked with all ingredients. Cover up this dish and let sit in refrigerator for 20 minutes-half hour. ENJOY (Sometimes I eat just as is when I'm done with all steps. The more you let sit in the refrigerator , the more taste the cucumbers will have).

Summery and Anytime Nails!

Heyyy =) Can you believe it already June?!? Eeeeeeeeek! I am hardly swim wear ready yet, but its a work in progress. I haven't posted in a couple weeks because I have been hitting the gym hard! You guys don't even know! I have never been more determined in my life to get my hot body back where it once was PRE-kids. I think I will do a mini-post about that in a week, basically to update you on my gym routine, and eating habits! =) Yay!! I wanted to sneak some time in (my hubby took our 3 year old daughter out for some QT together, cutest thing evvvver, so I am home with my 7 year old and he doesn't bother) to do a quick and I mean QUICK post about my 3 colors that I have been rocking on my nails! 2 of them are brand spanking new and one is a older one that I fell back in love with all over again!! Let's get down to business, shall we?!? First up, I purchased "Innocent" and "Unicorn" by Sinful Colors Innocent is this pretty pretty lime green color. Unicorn is a pastel yellow, both are perfect for this summer trend forecast (neon's and pastels) Here is INNOCENT: (Sorry the lighting was off on the last picture) This is UNICORN: As you can see, both Innocent and Unicorn are perfect colors to wear on your nails this summer! This brand of nail polish is CHEAP too! I paid $1.99 each at Walgreen's. You can find Sinful Colors at most major pharmacies =) Last but not least...one of my absolute oldies in my collection, but favorite! I will wear this color year round...it's Revlon's Grey Suede such a PRETTY light grey color. I applied 2 coats of this and made my nails looks as if it were a gel finish! Extra plus! I forget how much I paid for this, but it wasn't more than $7. I purchased this at Target. Here is the look: Well, that's it for now. Told you it was a super quick one!! Maybe I gave someone out there some ideas for some pretty nail colors for summertime and anytime ;) PLEASE check back in a week or so with a detailed post about my go at this weight loss thing! Ughhh ;) Thanks dolls xoxo

Drug-Store HAUL and Review

SO, the other day I headed out to get a few items that I needed, but its so me to always grab an extra item or two =) I grabbed some hair products, skin product, and some make up items. Since I have tried out most of the products that I have purchased already, I decided I should do a mini haul/review! First up, let me start with the hair care products! I have been looking for the right shampoo and conditioner for my hair that doesn't contain all the harsh chemicals that most hair products out there contain. Many of you don't realize that the products you are using, really damage your hair. It's so important to take good care of your hair, which means not buying products that contain sulfate, salt, dyes, and perabens. I came across; RENPURE ORINGIALS Brazilian Keratin Straightening Shampoo and Conditioner.

These products do NOT contain perabens, dyes, salt, and sulfate. I was unsure about this product, but once I washed and conditioned my hair, my hair has never felt so soft. I also used this on my 3 year old daughter's hair. She has hair very similar to mine. Her hair was left soft as well. I give this product a 7.5 out of 10. Each product costs about $5.99. I purchsed mine at Rite Aide. I would purchase this product again! Next, (another hair care product) my mother gave me a sample of Moroccan Oil from her hair stylist. It was a small bottle and I have lots of hair, so needless to say, it did not last long. Moroccan Oil hands down is the best oil for your hair. It leaves your hair feeling so soft, adds moisture with out the greasy look, and gives your hair a nice healthy shine to it. Since I got a FREE sample and ran out, I have been looking around for some or something very similar to Moroccan Oil. However, at the drug store that I was at, they didn't have any, but I did come across; Organix Hydrating Macadamia Oil

I used this product (a pea size) in my hair after I washed my hair with the Renpure Brazilian Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner This was amazing. Smells so wonderful and works just as great as Moroccan Oil. Moroccan Oil however to me, smells better. But I think the results were just the same. This is great for using after a wash and conditioner to your hair. Put a pea size in your palm after you have air dried or towel dried your hair, and you can wrap your hair when going to bed with this product on and believe me, your hair will feel so soft the next morning! I purchased this product from Rite Aide for $7.99 Only complaint I have, is its a little over-priced for such a small 3.3 fl oz. Onto skin care! Recently my skin has been so dry. Hate every second of it, especially when I apply make up and my skin looks dry!! Worst thing ever. I have been looking for the perfect moisturizer for my face that is lightweight and lasts all day long. Browsing through the aisle, nothing was popping out to me, until I saw GARNIER Nutritioniste Moisture Rescue Lightweight UV-Lotion

At first, I wasn't thrilled about this product. It has a great smell to it, very lightweight like it claims, but when I first applied a pea size to my skin, it kind of felt sticky on my skin. After about 20 minutes of it being on my face, my skin has never felt smoother. I have to try this out more to see if I really see a difference in the 24/hour moisture protection, so come back for a final review on this product! So far so good though =) I purchased this from Rite Aide for $8.49. A little on the pricey side, but I was willing to spend that much on a good moisturizer. There is also lots of product for your bucks ;) My last and final purchase was on make up! I have been hearing about Revlon's Lip Butters for some time now, and really wanted to give them a try. I ended up purchasing two colors; Sugar Plum and Gum Drop. Sugar Plum is a rosy, pinkish reddish color. And Gum Drop is a lavender, glittery color. The lip butters are supposed to be a moisture rich lip color for your lips. However, I wasn't really thrilled about this product. The colors are nice, but I needed to add Maybeline's Baby Lips FIRST before I added Revlon's Lip Butter. So if you are looking for a nice color then by all means go buy this product. But for me, I wasn't exactly happy about paying for a product that says "lip butter" to find out its not exactly how its described. Maybeline's Baby Lips did this all for me. Gave me color and moisturizer all at the same time! I would give this product a 6 out of 10. Would I buy again? Maybe...as long as I knew I had Baby Lips by Maybeline on deck ;)

Okay, that's all for now ladies! I hope that this helped someone out. Any questions or comments please leave down below! Yours Truly, Court xoxo

Another Chapter Closed with a Happy Ending

I am BACK =)!! So, I have been meaning to write this post forever now, but just couldn't find the peace and quiet to do it. Having two kids run around, fighting with each-other is nearly impossible. Good thing I am a vampire and can get this out of the way in the night! Those who have read my past posting about my adoption story will know the 411, if you haven't checked it out, PLEASE do...because none of this will make any sense! Okay, so I am adopted. I was adopted when I was 4 or 5, I think. I had a GREAT child hood growing up and great parents! I was truly blessed. Never went without anything. Fast-forward years, in 2003 when I was about to graduate high school, my parents received a letter from the adoption agency we were adopted from (VA). The letter was from my sister and I's biological mother. In the letter she stated valuable information, such as my sister and I had 3 biological younger sisters who were also adopted. She wrote names. Fantasia, Mallory, and Lauren. That's really all I knew, oh and a location of Frederick, MD. Growing up, I always felt like something was missing, like I wasn't complete. Not sure if all people who are adopted feel that way, or I was just extra. But...I knew I could locate my sisters if I just kept at it and tried. I started searching in 2003 for my sisters. I literally would friend request every Fantasia, Mallory, or Lauren that lived in the DMV area (DC, Maryland, and Virgina). Sounds crazy, but I did. Had no shame about it either. I kept coming onto dead ends. For years I continued searching on and off, I would get frustrated because nothing I was doing would provide any kind of leads. Eventually November of 2011, I re-started the search. Destined to try one more time, after this and no leads, I was going to give up. This was it. I had no help, no faith, on the edge and was going to stop this entire search...until I decided to "Google" (Free Adoption Search) online. I randomly came across the first page and clicked, it asked me to leave some information about my adoption and who I was looking for as well as my info (contact info) and they would contact me back! I thought this was BOGUS. People pay lots of money to have someone locate biological family members. But, I was desperate and willing to give it a shot anyways! Within 20-30 minutes I received a e-mail from a angel named Cher Caldwell on yahoo. We began corresponding and she immediately began my search, still thought there was a catch to this whole process. She started hitting me with back to back e-mails of possible leads. We were up until the wee hours of the morning going back and forth...UNTIL...she sent an e-mail to me with 3 FB pages of 3 girls, named Fantasia Webb, Mallory Webb, and Lauren Webb. She proceeded to tell me that she thinks its them. At that moment when I saw their pictures, I literally just froze up. When you know something is true but you don't want to believe it because you have searched 8 years for them with nothing...I honestly knew it was them but just couldn't believe it. I was shaking, I was crying. I kept saying "Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God". I think I tried to phone my sister, Ilana at 3 something in the morning, I ended up FB'ing her. I was in COMPLETE shock! I really was. It took me a minute to calm down, because then...I realized that I was just looking at their page and I was yet friends with none of them. Who knows how they would take me messaging them, who knows if they even knew they were adopted, and who knew if they even knew that they had two other biological sisters? There was no telling. I was going into this blind. I messaged the three of them, saying the exact same thing on Facebook. I didn't get immediate responses back, but I did receive replies within the same day! We all started messaging each other back, except for my one sister Mallory...whom I don't think she knew what was really going on. Messaging turned to phone calls. My sister Lauren actually came for New Years for a visit with her boyfriend! It was so smooth and natural, I felt like we have never missed a beat at all. =) I speak to my sisters regularly! I gained 3 new best-friends!! This experience was truly amazing. I feel blessed. I really do. When I felt like giving up, God was right by my side pushing me to try one more time and he placed Cher Caldwell in my path as an angel. I am forever grateful to her, for helping me out free of charge. She spent her entire night/early morning helping me search. I didn't have to do anything besides give her information which I knew. Anyone reading this, please please don't give up. Keep trying. I can also place you with the woman who helped me on Facebook. She is an amazing woman. I have never believed more in God than I do now. I will be doing an exclusive interview with Cher Caldwell, so look out for that =) Remember, don't ever give up! Keep trying and keep searching. It may be a long, hard search like mine was for 8 years, but nothing in life that is worth it, is never easy! I can finally close this chapter in my life. I found my sisters. I am the oldest of 5 beautiful girls. Courtney, Ilana, Fantasia, Mallory, and Lauren! FINALLY this chapter is now closed! Keep faith... Xoxo, Court

ME- (Born March 9th, 1985 in Winchester, VA)

Ilana- (Born June 16th, 1986 in Winchester, VA)

Fantasia- (Born September 25th, 1988 in Frederick, MD)

Mallory- (Born November 20th, 1989 in Frederick, MD)

Lauren- (Born March 20th, 1990 in Frederick, MD)

I am on Tumblr!

Hey everyone =) It's been a while since my LAST posting. A lot has been going on lately. I have crazy allergies and my youngest (my daughter) suffers the worst. She missed 2 weeks from school because of her allergies. Allergy season has been really bad especially since there hasn't been much rain fall here in the East. So I was going back and forth to the doctors with her due to her allergies. Poor baby! She is doing so much better now and just went back to school this Monday =) Yay! I needed a break too, lol. Anyways, I wanted to UPDATE you all who check me out, I am NEW to Tumblr! IF you are on Tumblr or were thinking about joining, please do and FOLLOW me =) My name on Tumblr is mixedbeauty39.tumblr.com Thanks! Xoxo. Court And HAPPY May!!

Easter Fun!

So this year for Easter I went to visit my mother, sister and adorable 5 year old nephew! It was so much fun and I was able to unwind and relax!! We decided this year to have a big Easter feast at my mom's. The menu was crazzy! My mother made lamb, stuffed mango chicken, and rice, and my sister and I made yams, mashed potatoes, lasagna, string bean casserole, mac n cheese, and peach cobbler. Well, I will only take credit for the yams and lasagna! ;) The food was amazing and we had friends over to help us dig in the food! So we did that, but before we started cooking, we had a HUGE Easter egg hunt for my two kids and my nephew! We hid about 40 plus eggs! Kids were VERY happy! Who wouldn't be? Isn't that the best when you're a kid? =) I also had my kids color eggs, they didn't turn out as pretty as I would have liked them to, BUT they looked pretty good if you ask me for our FIRST time coloring eggs! ;) I hope everyone enjoyed their Easter, if you celebrate it! Here are a few pictures from our weekend! Enjoy Xoxo, Court

Pacifire-FREE

What's up everyone?!? So this will be such a quick post...but if you have been following my blog since the beginning then you will know that I was trying to get my daughter off of her pacifier for the LONGEST time ever! I talk about it like its a drug or something, lol. But I mentioned on my Facebook how her paci was like what alcohol or shopping is to someone that is stressed. It really soothed her. I mean, she was sucking her fingers in the womb and she came out sucking on her tiny fingers! Needles to say, I am BEYOND thrilled for my baby girl. She is FINALLY paci-free for 2 weeks now! Whoo hoo =) So your probably wondering what we did (her father and I)? Well it was kind of by accident...meaning that every night she would loose her paci in the middle of the night and she would cry so LOUD that one of us would have to get up and search for it. That was soooo annoying. Messing with my sleep is a BIG no no ;) SO anyways, she lost her paci one day and kind of forgot about it until the night-time...she literally had a melt down but we still had no idea where her paci was (she has a habit of hiding her belongings). So for about a couple of days still no sight of her paci, she would be fine until it was bed time. She had about 3 days of crying in the middle of the night then she would put herself back to sleep. After her father and I noticed how she was able to soothe herself with out her paci, we both decided to NOT give her paci back to her IF we ever found it. Fast forward, it now has been almost 2 weeks and no paci =) I ended up finding it in one of my old purses that she likes to walk around in! I didn't throw it away but I put it in a high place where she could NEVER see it. She asked me the other day however when I picked her up form her preschool about where her paci is, and so I told her a little fib :/ (Its okay to lie in situations like this, right?...Lol) I told her that the "paci-fairy" came and took her paci while she was sleeping. She said "why?" and I said, "because the paci-fairy said that if you want to be a big girl, you can't have it anymore!" She was fine for like a minute, then she said "But Mommy, you were supposed to tell the fairy that it's mine and she is not supposed to steal" Awwww, I felt so bad but she had me cracking up! She is doing so well with out it and I could not be happier! If any of you are going through this, just be patient. Don't listen to what other people have to say when it comes to your child. Point blank. No one knows your child and their attachments better than YOU. So just be patient and keep trying. I say the best thing to do is just do a cold-turkey on the pacifier, and let them cry it out for a couple of nights. Some parents refuse to let their children cry for anything, so I am just speaking for myself and what worked for me. There are other tactics that you could try as well, such as throwing a party for your child to get rid of the paci, or mail it to a grand-parent or close family friend, or "pass" it down to a baby relative or baby brother/sister! I hope someone reads this and finds it helpful! Just remember, hang in there!! Truly Yours, Court...xoxo

My 3 year old sings "Count on Me" by Whitney Houston

Hey everyone! So the other day I recorded my 3 year old singing the entire song "Count on Me" from Whitney Houston. Thought this was too cute, so I had to record her and upload it and share with my viewers!


Please, PLEASE keep coming back to my blog for reviews and such and spread the word of my blog =) I know I have been MIS, but this sickness was kicking my butt majorly. Now I am back!! Hugs and kisses to everyone in the US and world wide who come on regularly to check out my blog!!


I appreciate it, I do. 


Xoxoxo,


Court

EXPRESS Finish Nail Color Love

Hey everyone =) Hugs and kisses!! So, I have been MIA for a minute because I have been feeling really sick for the last 2 weeks...its a long story. But when I find more time, I will def give you all a update about whats been going on with me! So my 27th birthday was March 9th! Whoo hoo...still don't know if I am excited about getting older or what? Still freaks me out. Lol. I did some shopping on the 8th and I stumbled into Rite Aide and came across 2 colors that I have been wearing over and over again! I have had so many people ask me what color and brand, so I thought I would just share with you all ;) Okay, so FIRST up...is "Love me Lavender" this is a LIMITED edition. I think it was from the 2010 or 2011 line. This is the color with 2 coats. Cute, right?

Now, since this IS a limited edition, I haven't been able to find anything else about this color. BUT, I have found some amazing colors that are VERY similar from this brand. =) 1. ESSIE "Neo Whimsical" Mixture of rose and plum

2. OPI's "Lucky Lucky Lavender"

These 2 colors are equally great to Maybelline's "Love me Lavender" The next color is also my Maybelline. It's their "Peachy Petal", this might have been a limited edition as well from their 2010-2011 collection! Here is the color;

I haven't really worn this color before, I don't know another color that might match this shade. If any of you have a color similar to this one that isn't by Maybelline, please make sure you comment below for other viewers that might be interested! Okay, that's it for now! Until next time, be safe and God bless, xoxoxo Courtney

My BEST friend, Flexi-Rods

Hey everyone! Wanted to share this video that I uploaded to my Facebook Page :: Court's World :: It's a quick video about Flexi-Rods. Why and how I use them...please bare with me as I am very amateur at making videos! Hope you guys enjoy it! Xoxo

February Favorites and UPDATE

It's been awhile since I posted last. You know how life is sometimes, twists and turns...and here I am :) I will try to post every week or every other week!

A lot hasn't changed since I last did my favorites of the month. But, I have found 2 new products that I live by now, and one product that I bought and ummmm, wish I could get my money back!

Let me first start off by saying Rest In Peace Whitney Houston. We lost another true talent before their time. Sad. I grew up listening to her voice, pretending to hit her high notes...singing into a brush. Her music will live on though. I am happy to say CONGRATS to singer, Adele! Who won BIG at the 2012 Grammy's this year! She is so talented. I have yet to find a artist who sounds just like their records while performing live. She is amazing.

Okay, with that said...let's start, shall we?

So the 2 products that I swear by, I will start with first :)

1. Maybelline New York Eye Studio Gel Eyeliner

I absolutely LOVE this product. I can't say enough about this. It comes with a applicator brush. I have worn this on several occasions and the line is perfection. It doesn't look messy like most other liquid or gel eye liners do. It glides on so easily and it's so easy to use. You don't need a lot of product on the small brush applicator either! This is one make up product that I will keep going back to spend roughly $9 on. The main thing, it lasts all day long! ;)

2. Cover Girl Refined Rose Instant Cheekbones Blush (#230)

I have been searching for the RIGHT blush forever. I never find the right on, its always too light or too dark! I have finally found one that I am personally content with! I love this duo. It comes with 3 different colors. A darker shade for contouring, a medium shade that is for your blush (apples of cheek), and a lighter shade that is meant for high lighting. If you don't know how to contour, visit You Tube, they always have videos on "How To's". I am not an expert on this, so I wont even begin to explain how to do this. But I have learned a little by watching others do it. This blush is perfect for someone who is tan or with olive skin tones!

NOW, its time for the product I wish I NEVER bought! If any of you have bought this and it works for you, then great. This is just a product that doesn't work for myself!

1. L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Eyeliner Mistake-Proof Marker

To start off, I was looking for a eye liner product that had a easy application process to it and a product that wouldn't rub off or smudge during the day. I saw this product in Target one day and figured that I would stray away from Maybelline (my go-to makeup drug store products) and try something new. Well you live and you learn! I tried this out and you would think that it would be a good product because of the marker end to it, but I felt that it was worse. If you don't hold the marker at a certain angle then the line is all over the place! If you don't have a steady hand, then this def is not for you! I did not like how the product went on, and you had to go over it a few times for the color to get definition. It also smudged during the day, and I have a very oily face. So this was not a good combination. This would be great for someone with out a shaky hand or someone who doesn't have oily skin like me :)

**Remember, all these products that I LOVE or HATE is only a reflection of myself. I encourage you to go out and try whatever it is that your heart desires!!**

Friendly Reminder ;)

The holidays have come and passed. I can't believe that it's another year! I welcome 2012 with open arms. I hope that all of my readers had a wonderful holiday and a safe New Years.

This year took its toll on me. I went on a roller coaster ride of emotions. A few that I am willing to share; I lost my precious Aunt Pearlie from my father's side on December 28th, 2011. The following day, my 3 year old daughter underwent surgery to fix her umbilical cord hernia. That was on December 29th. Then, my sister came to visit me for New Years...that was a high light for me! If you read my postings from earlier about my adoption story, you might have a clue as to why this was a special event for me!

With all said and done...I pulled through it made it!

I just want to remind everyone that the "holiday spirit" of giving back to those in need should happen not only during the holidays, but every day...or when you can! Many of you might start spring cleaning, and find that you have unused products in your home that aren't needed, donate them :) Visit a children's cancer hospital (bring a gift). Volunteer at a local homeless shelter. Adopt a pet...there are many things that you can do in your every day life to help give back. You don't need to be a millionaire in order to help those in need. Trust me, I am by far the richest person!!

I felt that I needed to emphasize the importance of giving back on a regular day/week, not just during the holidays!

After I went through so much during December, I realized how blessed I am to be alive and that my kids are healthy. After my daughter underwent her surgery, I just had this overwhelming feeling of gratitude for all that I have. I started to feel guilty...but I thought of different ways to help give back. Its fairly easy :)

My hope for everyone for 2012, is to stay on a positive track. Keep positive thoughts and friends close by. Respect yourself and others and give back to your community :)

Oh, and remember...keep healthy! Stay up to date with your doctors!!