OOTD/Review: Bright. Seersucker. Florals.

Day: Tuesday, May 21, 2013.

Where:  Preschool Run/Errands/CW's Gardening Class.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)   I'll discuss the shorts and sandals in the review section, but I will let you know the dinging of points happened because of these two pieces.  Nothing big, but some things that need to be pointed out.

The top is fit for me since I sewed it (blog post on that here), so that piece is exceedingly comfortable and easy to move around in.

The whole outfit is awesome, comfort wise, for the weather we had today, all humid, sticky, icky that it was.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  I like the outfit, and think the in your face color combo is really fun.  Definitely not for the faint of heart, but compared to the super-fashionable out there, this is pretty tame really.  ;)

Anecdote from the day: Been feeling a lot better since my wah-wah post of a few days ago.  No, I haven't magically developed a "quarter-bouncing butt" or found six million new friends, but I have been able to solidly connect with many of my friends and the time I have spent with them has been wonderful, and has made me feel a lot better about not being part of the "in" crowd at my son's school.

I also read (and responded to) most of the comments and e-mails I have received, and the kind, supportive words from you all mean the world to me.  Really.  :)  I know it sounds trite, but I mean it, I am so grateful for all of you who read my blog and are my blog friends.  Thank you!

5" Seersucker Shorts.  Size 10.  These are from J. Crew, purchased with the last 20% off coupon I received.  They are the same exact shorts as I have from last summer, but this year they are in a green/blue seersucker, whereas last year's seersucker is in a red/navy combo. 

I think these may be a touch smaller than last year's version, since I know I haven't gained weight from last summer.  They are tightest around the thighs, which is one of my wider areas.  They fit, they just aren't loose.

The five inch inseam is fab, though, giving enough coverage to feel like I am not showing off the goods to the world, but short enough to properly offset the looser silhouette of the top.  If I paired this top with longer shorts, it would like frumpy, in my opinion.

I have no idea what happened to these shorts on-line, btw.  I saw a whole bunch of them for sale last week.  They may have sold out, but I am sure there are plenty of them available in stores, and definitely follow the link in polyvore to catch a popback if you like them.

Leather Clogs.  Size 41.  These day glo pink sandals (they are even BRIGHTER and more DAY-GLO in real life) are from Boden's Johnnie b. line, which I happen to adore.  I often find the biggest sizes in that line fit me well, are sassy, and more importantly, cheap enough for me to indulge in guilt-free.  I buy Johnnie b. to enjoy the current trends, and stick with regular Boden for more classic styles made in materials that are friendly to my current SAHM life.

These clogs are really nicely made from lovely leather and real wood bottoms.  They look a lot like Saltwater sandals, but I know for a fact are not as easy to wear as Saltwaters, since the wood sole is definitely not the cushy rubber sole that I have seen on the Saltwaters.  (I have never owned Saltwaters, but CW had a pair and she wore them constantly.)

There are a few drawbacks, which will benefit you if you have wide feet.  I don't, so for me, these are negatives.  Not negative enough to return, but worth considering if you can't stand looser shoes.

The straps up there at the top (criss-cross ones) are very loose, like should be on a different pair of sized shoes loose.  The other straps have holes that can be buckled, which is what has saved these shoes for me and allowed me to keep them.  (They are buckled on the last buckle, btw, if they get any looser, I will have to have the shoe repairman punch a new hole to make them tighter.

I find that the looser toe box is less annoying to me than the reverse, which is a looser heel area.  I find that a looser heel means the shoe completely flops off my foot, whereas a loose toe box just means my little piggies have more room to spread out. ;)

Anyhow, if you have wide feet and want a nice looking pair of sandals that will definitely fit your feet, for a good price*, then these may be the ones for you.  The pair are also available in silver, which look slightly less obnoxious than these neon ones.

(Everyone commented on these sandals today, especially the color.  Most loved the sandals, but I am sure some folks were freaked out by how glow in the dark they appeared.)

*The price goes down to $43 with my sidebar coupon, which is about a 30% savings.  The shoes are on sale and go further down in price with the coupon.

Kept the makeup super-simple, easy light foundation, super sheer nude lipstick, and lots of mascara (I know it doesn't look that way, but trust me, that's a lot of mascara, I have really blonde eyelashes).

Angus gave me the cutest smile today.  :)  Look at all those teeth!

Okay, all, off to eat dinner, have a great night!

OOTDs: Casual Dressy. Or Just Dressy. Part Two of Two.

 Day: Sunday, February 24, 2013.

Where: Clyde's for lunch with my girl.

Ease of Wear: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I am taking a couple of points off because the dress's skirt kept hitching up on my tights.  It wasn't anything unbearable, but I did notice it.  I wish I could be less OCD about things like this, but I *know* other women have the same hangup.

If it had been a touch warmer, I could have gotten away with wearing the fitted ponte dress (review here, btw) sans tights, but since it was only forecast to be in the mid-50s, I knew it was tights all the way. (As much as I adore the velvet Bella jacket, it isn't super warm.)

The effortless suede boots, once again, proved why they will always be a fixture in my wardrobe.  I love how they can give a little lift (literally and figuratively) to most of my outfits, yet are so very comfortable. 

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) I think it looks pretty good, but it may be a bit too much "look" for some of you since I decided that a knee length dress and tights and ankle booties worked.  From what style 101 dictates, that combo is tremendously awful on the leg line, creating stumps instead of stems (remember this scene in Clueless?).  I am fairly tall, and most of my height is in my legs, so I am okay with the *stumping,* but I get it if this is not your thang.

Anecdote from the day:  So I was approached by a friend at bowling yesterday who asked if CW and I had been at Clyde's a couple of Sundays ago.  Obviously we had been, but I was very amused that someone had seen us walking to Clyde's that day.  She said she had tried to find us, but because of how many rooms this particular Clyde's has, she had to give up after the first five or six.  LOL.  She supposedly stopped right before she got to the room we were in.

CW loves Clyde's, which if you know this restaurant, is slightly amusing, since she is 4.  Anyhow, I got her the kids' meal with a hamburger, asked for well done, and out comes a very pink center patty.  Guess who didn't care?  Yeah, that's my girl, giving Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern a run for their money.  However, she won't touch mashed potatoes. 

Day: Tuesday, February 26, 2013.

Where: School Run and Jo Ann Fabrics, but no preschool run that day.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I had to get over the way the bodice fit (since it runs large through there on me--the review is here, btw), but once I did, and sort of *wore in* the dress, I was very comfortable.  It just took a while to get used to the way the casual pintuck dress felt.

It was very cold, windy, and rainy, though, and I was very happy with my choice of the thick stadium cloth coat (rightly called the Elements coat), thick wool knee socks, and leather boots.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) Since I normally am "Miss Pattern Explosion," this very sedate and monotone outfit is out of my proverbial comfort zone.  It is also the first time I tried the whole "knee socks and boots" look that everyone else does so effortlessly.  I really liked the way it came together, but the outfit isn't super special, so 3.5 it is...

Anecdote from the day:  I decided to go to Jo Ann's before picking up Rex from school.  I went ahead and purchased a rotary cutter and self-healing cutting mat (they were 40% off, too!) since I despise cutting fabrics with scissors.  I try to be so careful with the scissors, but I end up making mistakes, and if you sew, you know what a pain in the a$$ it can be to sew on fabric that doesn't follow the pattern properly.  The rotary cutter has taken some getting used to, but I will say that being more careful with that leads to really precise cuts, and can also take curves better, which my scissors cannot. 

CW fell in love with a Japanese girl print flannel cotton and I found a skull print flannel cotton for Rex, so I guess there will be more pajamas in our future.

Day: Wednesday, February 27, 2013.

Where: Body Wrap and Whole Foods Winesday.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) I am in a "soft as a baby's bottom" jersey dress, a pair of knee socks (hey, no need for full tights!), and small heels.  It is hard to imagine a more comfortable outfit.  It would be a 5, but the Pointed Mary Janes (review here) are not ballet flats, so a tiny bit more of a challenge to walk in. 

I love this dress, and am very glad that it still fits me well, despite having been purchased specifically as a maternity dress (seen here and here on me while pregnant).

Cool Factor: (2 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Not cool, pretty, but not cool.  The knee socks, now that I have admitted to it, bring the score down a whole point, too.  :)

Anecdote from the day:  I love that my hubby is willing to let me take an afternoon off once a month to get a massage/body wrap/facial.  I never realize how bad my back/shoulders/neck feels until after Miss Michelle gives me her very intense (read: kind of painful) massage.  I usually walk out of there feeling like I am walking on a cloud of marshmallows. 

It is always followed up by Winesday, which makes it even more lovely. 

Day: Saturday, March 2, 2013.

Where: Church and then the school auction.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  For a party frock, this is really comfortable.  The sequinned dress (review here) is a stretch jersey with a lining, so it feels wonderful on, with none of that "ugh, what in the world is pinning/scratching me" feeling that sometimes happens with party dresses. 

The least comfortable part of my outfit was the glitter Mona pumps, but even so, I wasn't dying or anything, and managed to stand up in them for at least an hour and a half of the evening.

I wouldn't have minded keeping the pretty metallic trim ballet flats on, though (bottom photo).  I only brought them, though, so I could wear something far less "in your face" to church right beforehand. 

(Yes, I just said I went to mass in the sequinned dress and ballet flats.)

Cool Factor: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) This is such a cool outfit.  It is really hard to mess up cocktail attire, though.  LOL.

The clutch is from Arbonne (comet cosmetics collection), and was one of their offerings over Christmas time.  Basically, you ordered the clutch and it came with four eyeshadows and a bright red lipstick.  I fell for the clutch first (since it is reminiscent of Alexander McQueen), but appreciated the extra goodies, of course.  Only issue with the clutch is that the chain sticks to my hair, but since I don't plan on wearing it that way (as a handbag), it doesn't even affect me.

Anecdote from the day:  AI went to church before because the auction was in the church's basement.  Since I like to kill as many birds with one stone as I can, I decided that I could wear a sequin, spangled dress to church so long as I wore the coat over it the entire time and wore the flats (I brought the pumps and changed into them after).

Once at the auction, it was A BLAST.  My friend (and Rex's girlfriend's mom) and I hung out and drank vodka-spiked lemonades.  Yum.  Mr. Dina bid on two things, a basket of Chik-fil-A free meal coupons, tees, and mugs, and an after-school class for Rex.  He won both.  (Mmm...chicken!)

My friend told me that the live auction was crazy.  The Robert Griffin, III. jersey went for 1000 dollars, which we totally expected, but the handpainted bookcase that Rex and his classmates made (that was from the day I spent entirely at Rex's school--also Rex and RG3's birthday) went for 900 dollars.  You read that right...a very basic, very diy-looking bookshelf went for almost as much as a jersey from a Redskins' quarterback.  Guess it was good we put all that effort into making it!  Yeep.

Day: Sunday, March 3, 2013.

Where: Bethesda run, which means one thing--LOUISIANA KITCHEN (and their amazing cajun martinis).

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Love how comfortable this outfit is, even though it looks like it should be more uncomfortable.  It isn't fully comfortable since the tights aren't control top and I had to hitch them up every hour or so.

Monica H., my good friend from CA (seen here with me in this post at Winesday), gave me this skirt a few months ago since her wee little hips couldn't fit into them anymore.  I was more than happy to accept her gift, and am glad we are now getting to a point (read: warmer days) where I can wear this, finally.  :)  So thank you again, Monica!

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Some of you J. Crew ladies are gonna love this outfit, since many of you love this skirt.  Others of you will be all, "yeah, not so much."  Let split the difference and give it a 3.

Anecdote from the day:  Mr. Dina is a terrible parallel parker.  He will give up and drive really far away to find an easier spot to park in, which is no big deal when it is warm and sunny, but on days when it is blustery and cold, it is nice to be closer to where we need to be.  It wasn't that cold that day, but with three kids, and the *perfect* spot nice and wide open, I told him to just let me park the darn car.  If you grow up around here, learning to parallel park is absolutely a necessity (unlike in Mississippi, home of wide parking spaces EVERYWHERE!), so I can get into the tightest spaces imaginable.  Mr. Dina always seems amazed that I have no problems doing so, and to further mess with him, I usually take a bow afterwards.  LOL. 

Anyway, after my (only known) feat of strength, I was more than happy to imbibe the Cajun martini.

Okay, that's it!  You all have a great Friday!  :)

Boden: Fifties, Finsbury, and Westminster.

So this is a review/outfit of the day post.  I received the Finsbury dress about two weeks ago and fell in love with it so hard that I eagerly anticipated a night where it was cool enough for me to wear it out and about.  (Also an evening that required such a beautiful dressed-up dress.) 

The weather on Saturday night last was utter perfection, low 70s, low humidity, with just a touch of wind, AND we had church and sushi on the offer, so I knew this was exactly the right evening for the debut of this stunner.

The info on the individual pieces is in the photo, but I will definitely link to the scarf and dress in this post.

This was the outfit as it came together.  The dress without the belt, scarf, clutch, and heels looks fine, but a teeny bit boring.  Having said that, I think this is an ideal dress for a myriad of occasions...because of the plainness of the frock, not in spite of it.

Looking at these photos, I realize the George Nelson bubble lamp really fits the fifties feel of this outfit.  I love that I could have been wearing this dress as is, accessories and all, at the same time as this house was built.

Without the clutch, from the front.  As a pear shape, I love dresses like this, with a fitted bodice and very full skirt.  If I had a choice, I might have reined in the flare a tiny bit on the skirt, but as someone who has to wear spanx with at least 50% of my dresses, it feels good not to have to worry about it.

The dress is exceedingly well crafted, not a thread or stitch out of place and fully lined throughout (excepting the lower sleeve).

The zipper is on the side, if I were to talk with Johnnie myself, I would BEG him to use back zips as side zips can be a struggle to get on or off.  I think if you have a larger chest or shoulders, that side zip will be what prevents you from buying the right size of this dress (you would have to size up to get it to fit over your head and shoulders).  I know that it will be difficult to get on and off.  If me, miss "when will I get some girls" has problems with it, those of you blessed up top will be struggling for sure.

I also read that the cap sleeves felt tight on some women, so another consideration if you carry your weight in your upper torso.

The dress fits very nicely through my shoulders and upper back, but you can see where it is a touch too big in the waist.  No biggie, it doesn't look horrible, in fact, I can't even imagine anyone noticed who was around me.

I wanted to wear a slimmer belt, btw, as a larger belt would have probably been too much of a statement.  I am not saying "no" to that in the future, but it would have looked silly with the rest of the outfit as I had styled it.

The makeup that night is the way I wish my makeup would look every time I wear makeup.

Speaking of my makeup, for those of you that are curious, my Arbonne site is no longer working.  I decided the amount I needed to spend keeping it running wasn't worth it, so I have decided to go back to taking Arbonne orders through my e-mail.  If you are interested in rejoining my e-mail list for monthly specials, you can do so at dinagideon AT aim DOT com.

So do you like the Westminster silk scarf?  Isn't it purdy?  :) 

I didn't even have to pay for it (technically).  I will explain more about that later.  ;)

Close-up of the scarf.  It is all silk, and a twill fabric.  The print is very special, scenes from Westminster itself, with the buildings and the guards in their red regalia.

The fabric of the dress is a wool, with a touch of stretch.  For those of you who buy J. Crew, it is a similar feel to the Super 120s.

The color is off from the one on-line.  Instead of being a bit buttery, I would call this a green/gold.  Of course I love this particular shade of light olive, so no complaints from me.  If this is not your bag (baby), there is a charcoal and black version as well.

I really hope that they keep this style, and bring out new colors each season.  I am telling you, they make it in a mid-orange color, and I will be first in line.  :)

Posing on the sidewalk in Arlington after mass.  The dress still looks fresh and barely wrinkled.

This is such a great photo of Angus.  I cannot believe he is almost six months old!  Crazy!  He is so big, too, wearing the 9 month clothing.

So remember this post from last year, where I showed off a long cashmere cardi coat I was able to buy because I won a gift card award for being the "Boden Publisher of the Month?"  Well, it happened again!!!  I was surprised, but super happy, to find out that I won it again!  :)

This time, the $50 gift card completely covered the cost of the scarf.  And because the scarf is a British based print, I call it fate that I won the award at the same time I had been interested in purchasing this scarf.


Finsbury Wool Dress.  Lovely on its own, but you can see how there is a lot of potential for accessorizing here.


Westminster Silk Scarf.  Vanessa!!! We love you.  :)  Her makeup looks really good with the outfit. 

Okay, all, that's it!  Have any of you tried either item and have some thoughts about either of them?

Have a great night!

P.S.  Don't forget, tonight is the last night of the 25% off September Favourites sale over at Boden.

How Did I Get There? (Part Two!) Featuring the Jersey Beach Dress and a Kalik.

Part of the collage from this post featured both this dress and this drink.  The drink is a Kalik, which means I was in the Bahamas.  There were enough of you that guessed exactly where I was that I need to have a part two of my contest.  Good show!

Umm, not done, though...contest plus an actual blog post to follow!

Okay, Jeck999, Rose (with 1MoreShoppingBlog), Dominique, and JulieBean, you all guessed the Bahamas correctly.  Some of the ladies guessed a cruise, which is true, too, but a cruise isn't specific enough to be in the running for the prize.  Now if someone had said a "cruise to the Bahamas," that person would have won, hands down. 

SO...

Jeck999, Rose, Dominique, and JulieBean...I need the four of you to tell me:

1. Which Cruise Line I took to get to the Bahamas;

2. How many days was the cruise;

3. What were my ports of call;

and

4. What was the cruise's departure port (city and state, please).

This is bound to get a winner, and I look forward to seeing what your answers are...

You have until tomorrow at noon Eastern Time to get your answers in...

For the prize?

This lovely little set of travel-sized goodies from Arbonne, which includes RE9 Advanced Smoothing Facial Cleanser, Corrective Eye Creme, and Night Repair Creme.  It also includes some "aah-worthy" spa travel sized products, perfect for getting your relaxation on, like the SeaSource Detox Spa Detoxifying Rescue Wash, Renewing Body Gelée and Purifying Sea Soak (1 full-size packet).   I used these on my trip and they lasted the entire time (except the sea soak--no tubs on a cruise).

Good luck!

For the rest of you...I am wearing a dress you all have seen before.  Turns out this dress is also the PERFECT beach cover-up (which may be where it gets its name from).

Jersey Beach Dress.  On me before we left for the day.  I am wearing the Nuevo Paisley Tank Suit underneath, but you won't see that until later on this week when I actually get some time to do real posts on my cruise vacation.

The flip-flops are J. Crew from Summer 2010, size 9.

My dad had a balcony, lucky man.  It is REALLY hard to wake up without any natural light whatsoever (we had the bane of cruise customers everywhere--the interior stateroom).  We totally abused the privilege of being related to someone with a balcony, as we were constantly on it. 

Here you get a nice close-up of the ruffled collar AND the lovely view of one of the places we docked.

I am standing in front of our ship.  That said, I totally edited out the name of the ship...haha.  ;)


The Jersey Beach dress also comes in a more abstract colored pattern and a blue version of the one I am wearing.

So it turns out that Boden *is* having a promo on their swimwear...which means that the 15% maternity coupon can be used on top of the promo, making it a stackable offer.  (Yay!)  I will most likely do my picks, etc., tomorrow, so be on the lookout for that post!

For those of you AMAZING ladies who have done a Boden review recently, I am foreseeing a very long and involved Boden Weekly Review Roundup this week to make up for last week's absence.  Please do let me know if you have one that I may have missed!!! THANKS!

Have a WONDERFUL and satisfying Mother's Day, by the way!!!  ;)

Maritime Dress for Real Life...

I wore the Maritime dress as an actual real life outfit on Monday.  I figured the combo of mainly staying at home, plus an Arbonne meeting at night gave me a great reason to pull this puppy out.  The weather was also that weird version of mild we get here in NOVA, kind of drizzly, kind of foggy, and right around 60 degrees.  In other words, not too cold, but not warm enough that we can put away the sleeves. 

The maritime dress is pretty substantial, nice thick slubby cotton that is like a light sweatshirt.  In the morning I wore it on its own, but by evening I had to pull out some leggings to keep myself a bit warm (and also be a bit more conservative for my meeting, that said, I did not photograph that look). 

I reviewed the Maritime Dress already, so for more info on it, head on over to that post.  The sleeves look great rolled up, in my opinion, and for hanging out with the kids, the length isn't too short that it's shocking. 

The shoes are a pair of Cole Haan penny loafers that I am *this* close to wearing out.  I literally bring them with me on every trip and even when home find I pull them out at least a couple times a month. 

That pile of books in the back makes me look so literary.  LOL.  Or just messy, like a hoarder.

I wore my hair to the side as an homage to the 80s.  I don't know why this dress reminds me of the 80s, but it does.  It probably is the superfluous zipper on the sides (heehee). 

These earrings are from the factory, and I LUUUUUURRRRRVVVVVE them.  I will never poo-poo a lot of the factory items because I find I wear them a lot AND they are usually pretty high quality.  That said, I may just be lucky and have had relatively few problems.

The makeup is all Arbonne, of course, and I layered two shades together on my lips, the lipstick in rose petal (a pretty mid rose/peach shade) and the lip polish in pearl (look under the cosmetics tab to find the product descriptions).

Okay, it is Wednesday, which many of you know means BODEN WEEKLY REVIEW ROUNDUP time! :)  There are four blogs that have posted reviews this week that I know of: ShopppingwithM, Bodalicious, Polly and Fiona, and Egyptomaniac the Shopping Maniac.  If I didn't list your blog and you have a review, would you mind either commenting or e-mailing me at dinagideon AT aim DOT com?  I have had limited access to my computer this week, so that means limited access to all my favorite blogs!  (Sad Face.) 

Talk with you all soon!

Arbonne: Sheer Pressed Powder, Step Seven.

For more information on how my Arbonne cosmetics guide got started, please visit the initial post!

So today I am doing the fifth and final post from the "Fresh Faced to All Ready to Go" set of posts.

Remember, all products I show here can be found at my Arbonne website.  (Go to the SHOP ONLINE TAB at the top of the home page to see all of the products for sale--cosmetics are under the Arbonne Cosmetics.)  I am an independent consultant, so while not completely unbiased, I do have a lot of information I can impart to you all about how to use the individual products (or at least how I use them, lol).  I have also started to add links to the Arbonne cosmetics ingredients PDF files, as I think it is very important that you all see what goes into your cosmetics when you purchase from Arbonne. REMINDER FOR APRIL 8, 2011: The free sheer glow highlighter with any $100 plus purchase made at my website promotion ends tonight at 11:59 pm Eastern time!  Don't delay!

Here is a reminder of what the cosmetics guide collage looked like:

Fresh Faced Photo:

This is meant to be the "control" photo so you can see what I started out with...there is NO photo-shopping, etc., I promise.  I would look way better if I used photoshop, trust me.  ;)

To see steps one and two, please visit this post. 

To see steps three and four, please visit this post. 

To see step five, please visit this post. 

To see step six, please visit this post.

Step Seven: 

Every step is super critical to me in getting an "all made up" face, but I will admit to needing the sheer pressed powder the most.  I have pretty oily/combo skin, and even though I don't break out, I do know that if I don't have some sort of powder in my routine, I will be pretty shiny by mid-morning. 

Now if I am at home, just chilling at my computer, I won't even concern myself with any makeup (just all my moisturizers and serums), but when I go out, *even if it is just to the grocery store*, I will put on powder. 

The sheer pressed powder is like any pressed powder made by any other cosmetics company, with two differences.  It has "optilight" technology AND it is a formula that once applied feels as light as air.  I seriously forget I am wearing it, unlike other formulation I have used in the past (and sheer pressed powder has been my best friend ever since high school).  Cake-y is awesome for funfetti, not for me and my nose. 

Optilight I mentioned when I spoke about the Sheer Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 15, but in a nutshell, "optilight" means that Arbonne formulated the powder with micro-particles that help take the light that is reflected onto the facial skin and help reflect it back outwards, creating a "glow."  In the photo above you cans see it on my cheekbones and my forehead most clearly.  That is a glow and not shine, and for that I will always be in love with this powder.

I use this cosmetic product SO much I have to make a re-order already and it has only been three months.  LOL.  I think if you just need powder for "normal" or "dry" skin, you will have it for longer.  If you are all "Suzy Shinemeister" like me, you probably should be prepared for how much you will use it.

I am also showing off the eyebrow brush that comes with the ten piece precision brush set.  I spoke about the brush set in this post, if you would like more info on that.  I use this brush at the very end, AFTER the pressed powder, to make sure my eyebrows are in their place.  I do not tweeze or wax my eyebrows, and they are thick and a bit much, but the eyebrow brush helps tame them a tad.  ;)

Sheer Pressed Powder PDF Ingredients List.


FINAL LOOK:

All together, hair brushed, cardigan on, and ready to go.  I hope you all have enjoyed this trip of mine from "Freshed Faced" to "All Ready to Go!" 

Be on the lookout for future Arbonne guides!

You all have a great night and thank you for visiting my blog (if this is your first time here)!

Arbonne: Sheer Glow Highlighter, Step Six.

For more information on how my Arbonne cosmetics guide got started, please visit the initial post!

So today I am doing part four of from "Fresh Faced to All Ready to Go."

Remember, all products I show here can be found at my Arbonne website.  (Go to the SHOP ONLINE TAB at the top of the home page to see all of the products for sale--cosmetics are under the Arbonne Cosmetics.)  I am an independent consultant, so while not completely unbiased, I do have a lot of information I can impart to you all about how to use the individual products (or at least how I use them, lol).  I have also started to add links to the Arbonne cosmetics ingredients PDF files, as I think it is very important that you all see what goes into your cosmetics when you purchase from Arbonne.

Here is a reminder of what the cosmetics guide collage looked like (and it allows you to get a sneak peek of what the last step is...if you roll like that)...

Fresh Faced Photo:

This is meant to be the "control" photo so you can see what I started out with...there is NO photo-shopping, etc., I promise.  I would look way better if I used photoshop, trust me.  ;)

To see steps one and two, please visit this post. 

To see steps three and four, please visit this post. 

To see step five, please visit this post.

Step Six: 

Today I am showing off the item that is currently FREE (until Friday, April 8, 2011) with any $100 plus purchase made over at my website.  It retails for $40, which given a cost per wear analysis, makes it a pretty decent price if you use it every day or nearly every day. 

I find that I use a bottle up over a six month time period, as you don't really need much more than a few dots of highlighter for a nice subtle glow.  It dispenses in a "dot" way, so when you receive it, you will see what I mean. 

The highlighter receives much acclaim from all the women I know who use it.  I think that as we age, we lose a bit of the natural luminosity and glow that we all know we had back when we just didn't care enough to notice (I personally shake my fist at being age 14, with stunning skin, and doing absolutely nothing outside of sunscreen to take care of it, I am now at the age where I can rightly say that "youth is totally wasted on the young," lol).  Anyhow, back on point, after about 25 or 30, with the stresses of lack of sleep, bad air, nights spent worrying about children, jobs, rent/mortgage, bad eating habits, and lack of exercise catch up with our skin.  Sigh.  And the first thing to go is that special something something that makes us look alive...I describe it as my skin looking grey, nice, right???

Anyhow, I will do all of the steps that go into this "all made up" cosmetic routine of mine, and right before the last step (next post in this series), I add just a few dots of this highlighter to very top of my cheekbones, on the outer corner of my eyes, a very small dab on the inner part of my eyes, and lastly a sliver of it on the top of my nose.  It is very subtle, but it is very evident when any light catches where I placed this non-glitter highlighter cream.  As I turn to the light, it gives off a bit of sparkle where the cream was placed.  I know it seems like a small something something, but the days I wear it, I do get the whole "you're glowing!" from folks.  :)

I have also (on my most "grey" days) mixed it in with my tinted moisturizer and then placed the whole concoction on my face.  Those days I feel lifted, knowing that I no longer look grey but rather glowy.  It *is* a bit much to do this every day, but on the days when you need the love the most, I say go for it. 

Other people have come up with ideas on how to use the cream, including on the body, so if you have used it and have an idea for others (and me), let me know! 


Sheer Glow Highlighter PDF Ingredient List.

I hope that this has helped you all learn a bit more about the fifth step towards having an all made up look!  :)

You all have a great night and thank you for visiting my blog (if this is your first time here)!