My obsessions

There should seriously be a makeup junkie support group for people like me. I am not even joking. I LOVE makeup, almost as much as I love my husband or my job.

Just a little background on my makeup experience - I did not start wearing makeup until I was 15 .. ish. My mom took me to the mall one day and had my makeup done by one of the ladies at the Clinique counter. That was the day that I fell in love with eyeliner. If you know me, you know that I loves the liner. Especially the winged 'cat eye' liner. And it's interesting for me to look back and see how different aspects of my makeup has evolved. Other than the eyeliner, I wore some mascara and maybe some bronzer (another obsession). The day my makeup life really changed was when I starting working at Visage. There were so many products and so many fun things you could do with the makeup that I never really thought about. This really spiked my interest and my passion for skin care and makeup really evolved.

Skin care products I'm obsessed with:

Treatment products :

CosMedix Define

This product is a Vitamin A Resurfacing Treatment. I use it at night to keep my skin clear and prevent wrinkles. It smells like lemon and is lightly hydrating. This stuff has made such a change in my skin texture and tone!

Biomedic Conditioning Solution

This is the toner I use after I cleanse. It's AMAZING! It has salicylic and glycolic. It keeps my pores clear and helps to control oiliness.

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

I use this everyday, once a day after I cleanse. It makes my skin SUPER soft and glowy.

Makeup brushes I'm obsessed with:

Bare Escentuals Full Flawless Face Brush - I use this for my foundation as well as bronzer and sometimes blush

Glominerals Dual Liner and Brow Brush - My favorite brush for my brow powder and heavy liner

MAC 217 Brush : This is a great blending brush for concealer

Jane Iredale Dome Brush : Favorite brush for liquid foundation. It takes less time to apply and blends awesome

Glominerals Crease Brush : Great to apply crease shadows or smokey eyes

Makeup I'm obsessed with:

Foundation : Jane Iredale PurePressed and Liquid, Glominerals Liquid

Blush : Smashbox Soft Light Prism, Bare Escentuals Sorbet, Bare Escentuals Morning

Eyeliner: Stila Smudge Pot Black, Smashbox Pencil Liner

Brow Powder : Glominerals Brow Powder Duo Brown

Concealer : MAC Studio Fix Concealer (really heavy), Jane Iredale Active Light, Jane Iredale Disappear

Lipgloss : Bare Escentuals 7 Layer Cake, Buxom Katie, MAC Dazzlegloss

Lid Primer : MAC Paint Pots!

Face Primer : Colorescience Wild to Mild

Lashes : Jane Iredale Lash Extend, Bare Escentuals Volumizing Mascara, Jane Iredale Thickening and Lengthening Mascara Black Ice, Sephora Lash Pump

Obviously I didn't want to overwhelm my list of favorite products, so I just named a few of my top favs.

Makeup makes me feel better. It's like my 'up' drug. There is nothing that can't fix a bad day like a new lipgloss in my opinion. Yeah, I don't understand why some girls don't wear makeup, but I'm sure they're thinking "Why does she wear so much makeup?" I respect the natural girl but it's possible to look 'natural' and still be wearing makeup.

I wanted to go through my makeup drawer and take an inventory of all the stuff I have but I'm too lazy. :)

One year down, a billion to go..

It's crazy to think that exactly 365 days ago, I was getting married to my best friend. I remember waking up that morning, getting in the shower at 9, doing my makeup, getting everything in the car and heading over to my in-laws house where I had my hair done. Derrick went to the gym that morning to help with the gitters. At 12:30, we headed to the temple where Derrick met us all dressed and ready to go.

During our sealing, I remember looking at Derrick and thinking "Woah, this is totally happening right now". When I first met Derrick, I was otherwise engaged with a guy from high school who I was currently dating, not seriously because he was going away to BYUI, but committed enough that I wasn't dating anyone else. Derrick was honestly not like anyone I'd ever dated, partly because he was older and a return missionary. He was that 'let loose' type of guy who always had a unique outlook on things. I remember writing in my journal that I thought he was "immature, and childish, but tons of fun". He was different, I knew that immediately. What I didn't know, was the difference he would make in my life forever. Derrick is one of the most amazing, loyal, selfless people that I've ever known. He always makes an effort to be a great friend and is always willing to help people out when they're in need. He has been such an example to me and has made me want to be better. Marrying Derrick was the best thing I've ever done.

What I Expected : Honestly, I expected marriage to be a lot harder. It seems like people were always telling me "The first year of marriage is the hardest" yada yada yada. But really, our first year has been a blast! Yeah we fought but when I look back, it was never anything THAT serious and was always resolved quickly with a hug and kiss. I think marriage has been WAY easier than dating was for us. But maybe because we dated for 2 1/2 years, this transition has been more natural, therefore easier.

What I Didn't Expect : I didn't expect all the responsibilities of being married adults. Bills, car payments, taxes, insurance, car insurance, life insurance, house insurance. Seriously, sometimes it feels like it's never ending!

What The Future Holds : In the next year of our marriage we are hoping to get most of our house projects finished. We're going to pay off Derrick's car! Are kids in the cards this coming year? Probably not, unless something miraculous financially wise happens. Hopefully this next year Derrick will go back to school.

Whatever happens, Derrick and I will be together. Through thick and thin, in this life and the next. Forever. I love you babe!

Oh the joy of being a homeowner..

Before Derrick and I got married, he decided to buy a house. He was ready to move out and start our life together. We found a townhouse on 800 north in Provo. Our house is around 1,200 Sq Ft. with 2 bathrooms and a second floor. Although this house needs some work (new cabinets, carpet, doors, base boards & bathtub) but we've enjoyed it so far. We have super nice neighbors who are super quite and pretty much keep to themselves. We were a little worried about noise since both sides of our house are shared with other people, but to much surprise our house is made of cinder block. Which blocks out EVERYTHING. I have NEVER heard our neighbors and hopefully they've never heard me (ha). It's a very great, secluded area that is surrounded by trees. Although, the train tracks are only about a half mile away but we've lived here so long the train doesn't even faze us.

Along with the joys and benefits of homeownership, comes EXTREME stress. Since our home is older we have some updates to complete and some things to fix thanks to our bulldog who decided to make door frames and base boards his chew toys. Recently with all the rain, we discovered a leak in our upstairs bathroom vent. One day it rained so much and it leaked so bad that we had to put a gallon bucket upstairs to catch all the rain. By the time I got home from work the next day it was COMPLETEY full. Once the rained stopped, our HOA came and fixed the roof but we noticed that the ceiling in our bathroom was starting to bow. We told our HOA what was happening and the DENIED that it was their responsibility to fix even though it was caused by an exterior issue. It has taken almost 2 MONTHS for the HOA to finally admit that it's their responsibility. We have had the same issue with a pipe connected to our cooling. Once again, since our house is old the heating and cooling system is as old as the dinaours themselves. At the beginning of summer, we had ZERO heat, why? Because the previous owners jacked up the wiring so we had to have someone come in and re-wire the thermostat. After that, we had the cooling on FULL blast (even then our house was still an average of 72-76 degrees) and after about 2-3 months we noticed water was on our downstairs bathroom door. Derrick did some investigating and found that a pipe up in our cooling was leaking and had totally warped our door to the point that it barely even closes. Once again the HOA denied it was their issue and ignored us. Finally after what seemed like forever they said they'd have it fixed. Well, it's been about 2 months and we have heard nothing from the guy who's supposed to fix it! I am an extremely anxious person, so having all these issues has been super difficult for me. BUT! that's the joy of being a homeowner, right?

Among other things, Derrick and I are still working full time, we got our $8,000 tax credit last month and decided to buy me a car! I've been searching and researching tons of different cars for months now and finally had narrowed it down to 3 cars I could 1: afford 2: commute in & 3: look cute in. Yes, cute in. I know that's a totally ridiculous factor to add to buying a car, but HEY I'm a girl, a very girly girl. We decided on a Kia Soul aka The Hamster Car. I LOVE this car. It is SO great. AND I got rid of my Olds, HALELUJAH. We traded it in for $750 and got a $500 credit because Derrick owns a Civic. SAWEET!

Wilson is a year old. He still acts like a puppy which is cute and annoying at the same time. He enjoys watching T.V, chewing on EVERYTHING and loves to run in circles in our living room. I'm sad that he spends all of his time in the kennel all day long and doesn't have someone to play with but I guess that's life. His recent naughtiness is to sneak the kitchen run and chew on it. This makes me SO ANGRY. Derrick and I have gone over this hundreds of times but he still can't quite grasp it. Derrick keeps telling me that it's "all in preparation for babies". I guess my patience-o-meter is really on the low side recently.

O my aching womb.

It's been a LONG time since I last posted a blog. To update you all, Derrick and I have officially been married for 7 months. Yay! Marriage is so much more exciting and rewarding than dating. But all in all I am very glad that Derrick and I dated for 2 1/2 years before getting engaged. This July was our 3 year dating anniversary. It's crazy to think that I have been in love with the same person for 3 years, and now I'm married to that person. I get Derrick for forever. Which, some days can seem a little daunting and overwhelming but hey, someones gotta do it.

Although these last month or two of marriage have been fun, they've also been really hard for me. I admittedly have a little bit of an 'achin womb'. I love kids, always have. I've always wanted to be a mom and have a baby of my own & the last couple months this idea has just polluted my mind to the point where it makes me crazy. I seriously cry during every commercial about babies. We were watching Hook last week and when Robin Williams see's his son Jack for the first time and says he's a daddy, I was BAWLING! Pathetic, I know. So finally after all this emotion and finding out some of my friends are having their SECOND child, my husband sat me down.

My husband is an extremely controlled person. I don't think I've ever seen him mad or stressed out. He just can control himself very well. I, on the other hand, cannot and he knows when I am struggling with my emotions. After lots of probing me for why my mood was so up and down. I explained that I am 'baby hungry'. Although the idea of having kids totally freaks Derrick out, he was really calm and explained why this step in our marriage is just not a reality right now. Derrick would like to provide for our family comfortably, he would like me to stay home (which he knows is where I want to be), and he would like to be emotionally prepared himself. He cannot imagine having a baby without going to school, and making substantially more money.

My biological clock is not running out. I am 21 years old and simply not ready for that kind of responsibility and that is something I have to keep telling myself. This time in our marriage is about creating and building a family together that will one day be a stable and secure atmosphere to bring children into. It is also about each of us learning and growing together, and as separate individuals. We live in a culture that thinks we must immediately replenish the earth and that 'Hey, anyone can have a baby'. Whatever happened to the good old fashion 'Go to school, get a degree, buy a house and a dog and THEN have a baby' thinking? And I'm not saying this is my thinking now entirely, it is definitely going to take some time, but I would like to have goals and dreams and accomplishments before my life becomes someone else's.

So that's the end.

5 Days Till The Big Day

The countdown has officially started!! Today I ordered the flowers, got the ties, the guest book and Thank You cards. It is going to be a VERY busy week! But the awesome thing about it all, is this is the last and only time I'll have to do it! That, to me, is pretty great. We've kind of settled into married life (even though we're not yet married). We still have to get our marriage license. Other than that just a lot of trips to Costco for the luncheon and reception. GAH! It still hasn't really settled in yet but it probably won't till Saturday when we realize that "Hey, we're married, I can see you naked....sweet."