Already? She's growing up too fast!!!

So, my daughter Julia brought home a form from school the other day.  She wants to be in a beauty pageant.

She's 6 years old and in the first grade.  This is her first year in school, as she skipped kindergarten, which means she's a little younger than the other kids in her grade.  So, I'm really protective of her in various social/school-related aspects of her life.  (I know, I'm turning out just like my mom!  Gah!)

This pageant thing had me kind of leery, but after speaking with my mom and husband, I'm confident that she would have a good time doing it.

I, personally, did pageants all through elementary school and high school, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Yes, I placed in some and even won some, BUT I also completely lost in a few, too.  While I don't necessarily agree with all the parameters you are "judged" on, I do think it taught me how to have a thick skin, and maybe even helped me develop the lack of stage fright that I have today.  I have great public speaking skills, and I don't get nervous performing or speaking in front of large groups of people.  So yes, pageants have their pros and cons.

My daughter is in modeling anyway...so it's really not THAT different, right?

With all that said, I need help.  Her pageant is at the end of January, and I need to get her a dress.  Here's a picture of my sweetie:

Her hair's a little frazzled here, but it's the

most recent pic I have.  :)

I posted her pic so you all could help me pick the right dress in the right color.  Now...are you ready for the dress options?

#1      #2  

#3#4  

#5#6  

#7   #8

#9   #10  

#11#12  

#13#14

I'm currently "watching" all of these on Ebay, but I wanted to get your opinion before I purchase one.  They are allowing a variety of dress types for this pageant, ranging from Sunday dress to formal.  I'd like for Julia to fall in the middle...or even lean towards the formal side.  It's not often she gets to get this dressed up!

For those of you who want to, please comment below telling me your TOP 3 choices!  I'd like to narrow down my choices to show my husband when he gets back on Saturday.  :)  (Showing him too many at once might fry his macho army-man brain!  LMAO!)

Thanks a ton!!!

Feliz Navidad...Prospero Año y Felicidad

Okay, so I decided to do my makeup this morning. I wanted to focus on more of a holiday look, so I used eyeshadows from Hi-Fi Cosmetics 2009 Holiday Collection. Hope you like!

Here is the look...  Excuse my hair...I've done

nothing with it today.  (And what am I doing with

my mouth?  Who knows...)

On eyes, I used the following:

Adeste Fideles - inner corner

Hot Cocoa - lid

Feliz Navidad - outer "V" and crease

Champagne Toast - highlight

Closed eye shot w/o flash

Close-up of eye w/ flash...  By the way, I also used a cheap gold

glitter liner from Claire's, as I just realized today that I haven't

made a golden Flash Powder yet.  (I need to get on that!)

I'm also wearing Gel Blush Concentrate in Get It On

and Prestige Wonder-Full lipgloss in Plush.

No foundation...  I rarely ever wear it.  Probably

because I'm too lazy to put it on...and (with my dad's

southern Alabama twang) "Why fix it if it ain't broke?"

Anyway...hope you like!  Do any of you own any of these colors?  If you do, how are you wearing them?

Please comment and let me know what you think!!!

All the drugs in this world won't save her from herself...

I was just going over the comments on my last post, and as I got into the details of the MM references in my most recent collection, it made me think of my hair.

Yes...my hair.

I just had it done this past weekend by the most awesome hairdresser ever, my big brother Derick.  He has a salon in Cordova, TN (just outside Memphis).  When I went to him on Saturday to get it done, I had one thing in mind...the music video to "Coma White" by Marilyn Manson.

It wasn't his haircut I wanted, though...it was the color.  I didn't go as dramatic as MM does, as mine is more subtle because it's underneath the layers instead of on top.  But I LOVE how it turned out.

Here's Marilyn Manson with uber-sexy hair.  His outfit

in this video also rocked my face off.  Not a very good

picture (I got this off Google Images), but if you want to

see the video, you can find it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxnTu18-ygg

My new hair!!!

What do you think?  Who knows...maybe next time I'll go for the color AND cut and just do the whole shabang.  :)

2010 New Year's Collection!

Hey everyone!  I just wanted to announce to all of you that there will be 10 new colors entering the shop to help ring in the new year!!!  The names of the colors below obviously have nothing to do with New Year's or anything like that.  I just wanted to take the opportunity to introduce some newness to all of you who have been asking about new colors, etc.  So, without further adieu, here they are...

         

By the way, you can click on the images to see a larger view.

Now, here's the coolest part...  The first person to comment below telling me the musical artist/entertainer the color names are inspired by will receive a FREE sample set with each of the colors listed!!!  Do you know who it is?  :)

Bright Blue

Okay, so I thought I'd do a look with some colors that I don't normally wear.  Turns out the blue part is really the only shade I don't wear often, as I wear golds and greens a lot.

I didn't really do much else with my face other

than the eyes.  No foundation or blush, and only

a dab of gloss on my severely chapped lips.

Yeah, I went "all out".  LOL.

I used the following Hi Fi Shadows:

Inner corner - War Child

Mid lid & lower lashline - Grinch

Outer corner & crease - Queen of Disaster

The other products I'm wearing are Detrivore primer, Hard Candy Walk the Line liquid liner in Asphalt, L'Oreal Infallible eyeliner in Carbon Black, Wet 'n' Wild brow pencil in Mink Brown, and Liplicious Jewels gloss in Crystal Candy.

Well, there you have it!  Sorry I don't have more to say...  I'm busy packaging orders for a massive trip to the post office today!  If you've placed an order with me and haven't received shipping confirmation yet, watch your email/Etsy tonight and tomorrow for a message that I've shipped!  I do plan on going to the post office later this week as well for those of you whose orders I can't get done today.  SO sorry that I'm behind!  I really appreciate you guys being such good sports about it.  *xoxo*

Finally Back Home!

As most of you already know, my aunt passed away last weekend...  So, the funeral and all was this week.

I also had to take my husband to the airport on Friday so he can do some military schooling in Nebraska.  THEN...I took my oldest daughter to see her dad and managed a small 2-day vacation with my best bud Brandy while Julia was at his house.

And...we just got home.  I KNOW I'm really behind on shipping, comments, and emails, but I promise to bust my butt this week to get everything out.  PLEASE forgive me.  For those of you who have ordered from me before, you know my shipping and replies are normally relatively swift.

Anyway...business aside, here are some photos.  :)  (I almost wrote "here is some photos" and nearly vomited when I realized my ludicrous grammatical error.  I'm a snob when it comes to grammar and spelling.  My husband hates it.)

My oldest, Julia, getting situated in the back seat of my two-door car...

Getting ready for a long drive.  (The transmission is going out in

my SUV.  Lovely timing.)

I looked "a hot mess", but this was the best makeup

I could do with one shadow pencil, liquid liner, brow

pencil, and lip gloss...WHILE going down the super-curvy

highway at about 65 mph.  My hubby was doing the driving

though, so no worries.  :)

Aron and I hanging out in our hotel room the evening before

I took him to the airport.  (And yes...I AM wearing a shirt in this

photo!  It was a spaghetti strap tank top that decided to hide

outside the frame...LOL.)  By the way, I'm wearing "Distortion"

Hi Fi Shadow here...but it's after about 6 hours of wear with

no primer.  I was short on time getting ready, hence the single

shadow look.

Our little one, Raven, decided to take photos of iCarly playing

on the TV.  LOL.

Anyway...hope the rest of you had a better week than I did!  Hubby will be flying back on the 19th.  I think I can make it until then.  I just KNOW you all will keep me super busy and help keep my mind off things!  :)

Love you all!

Today's Pick-Me-Up Makeup

It's cold and rainy today.  Ugh.  I've been attempting to package orders all morning, but I have just been so "blah".  So, I jumped in a nice, steamy shower and decided to do my makeup afterwards.  I work from home, so I'm normally sitting in my office in my PJs all day with minimal, if any, makeup, unless I have to go somewhere.  

Today is a PJ day, but I feel a little better about taking these pictures since I do at least have my face done.  LOL.  Excuse the towel on my head.  I had just gotten out of the shower and didn't feel like blowdrying my hair for these quick pics.  Let me know what you think!

Wow.  I do not look happy in this photo.

...Probably because you can SO tell how uneven

my brows are here.  Le sigh.  (One's higher than the

other due to an accident that required stitches...

guess the doc decided I needed a brow lift on

that eye as well.  LOL.  Maybe I should go back

and make him even them out...  LOL.)

On my eyes, I used the following:

LID:  Beautiful Nightmare

CREASE:  Back Seat Special

INNER CORNER:  Silver Bells

HIGHLIGHT:  Champagne Toast

Closed eye shot.  Forgive my atrocious brows and their

werewolfy ability to grow down the side of my face.

Seriously, WTF...right?

And here I am, in all my pajama-clad,

fresh-from-the-shower glory!

By the way, I'm also wearing Hi-Fi

Cosmetics Loose Cheek Color in

"Daydream".  Coming to the shop soon!

Oh yeah, and the lip gloss I'm wearing is

Maybelline Shine Seduction in Purple Hex.

Anyway...hope you like my look, minus the pajamas and towel on the head, of course!  :)

Do you own any of these colors, and if you do, how do you wear them?  Are there any other colors would you like to see me do a look with?

Operation Christmas Furlough...and some randomness.

Hey, everyone!

A huge thanks to all of you who supported Hi-Fi Cosmetics this past weekend!  I got a ton of orders, and I'm working really hard to get them all filled and shipped!

The listings in my shop will be scarce tonight...but expect everything to be restored within 24 hours.

I'm making another trip to the post office tomorrow.  If you placed an order and it ships, I will be sending you an email.  :)

Keep in mind that I will be out of commission a good part of the week due to my aunt's death.  I appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers.  Thanks so much for your patience during this hard time for my family.

My husband is also leaving on military duty on Friday.  Don't worry...he's not getting deployed.  He will be in Nebraska for some non-commissioned officer training for two weeks.  I'll be available during this time he is away, however, I will be scarce this weekend...as well as the weekend of the 19th, when I drive to the other side of the state to pick him up from the airport.  I do have email on my phone, and I travel with my laptop, so if you need to email me, please don't hesitate to do so.  I WILL still be taking and filling orders during this time, so you are free to shop!  I just may not be as quick to respond to emails, Etsy convos, etc.

Speaking of military duty, all week this week and next I will be donating a portion of ALL SALES to the 875th Eng. Battalion of Jonesboro, Arkansas for Operation Christmas Furlough.  As many of you know, my husband is in the Army National Guard, having served in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort, the big ice storm that came through the Midsouth earlier this year, and a 15 month tour in Iraq.  He is set to deploy again in 2011 or 2012.  I'm sure you can understand why I want to do this.

The 875th recently left for Wisconsin in preparation for a deployment to Afghanistan.  They are all trying to come home for Christmas before they head out, but the unit needs $20,000 to send them home for the holidays.  This weekend, soldiers' wives, mothers, and children stood at the major intersections in Jonesboro, AR in an effort to gather donations to bring their servicemen home for Christmas.  During this time, they had food thrown at them and many obscene and profane gestures aimed towards them.  When one soldier's daughter spoke with a woman about donating, the woman simply replied, "If your dad's going to Afghanistan, he's already dead."  There were many other negative and rude statements thrown at these desperate families while they were trying to collect donations to bring their brave servicemembers home for the holidays.  My blood boils just thinking about it.

Despite all the negativity they received, the group was able to collect close to $18,000.  Pretty amazing for collecting money on the side of the road, huh?  BUT, they still need over $2,000 to make it happen.  So, while my husband and I are making our own personal donation, I also want to donate a portion of my proceeds over the next week or two to helping these families have a wonderful Christmas.

I know many of you are not residents of the United States, so I totally understand if you choose to disregard this.  However, I will be posting this on my shop announcement, as well as Facebook and Twitter over the next week or two.

Thank you all so much for your support...not only of me, but of our courageous men and women who give their all and sacrifice so much to protect our freedom and way of life.

My husband at a wreath laying ceremony last Christmas.

Photo taken at the Fayetteville National Cemetery

in Fayetteville, AR.

My husband Aron and I

My husband (on top, by the flag), and some of the soldiers he

deployed with on his last tour in Iraq.

Thanks so much!