Usually when there is a change in the weather, there is a change with my skin. On top of being kind of "blah" looking, I've been dealing with breakouts again. So I set aside my usual makeup routine and have gone back to mineral makeup for the time being. Lucky for me, the good people at RAW Minerals have impeccable timing. They sent me the RAW Minerals Discovery Kit, which I've been using Read more...

So I was going to just skip the month of November after taking a look at my original ShoeDazzle selection. Then I got my new selection picks and can't decide whether or not I should go with "Raven". Take a look at the pictures below and tell me what you think...

Work is sending me to Atlanta Wednesday night through Friday, but hopefully I can fit in some time to check out the city since I've never been there before. I've been hearing its a shopping mecca. Any suggestions on places to check out?

Back in my latter years of elementary school, we had our own set of "mean girls". (Which makes me truly agast at the thought of what kids that young are having to deal with a decade and a half later.) In retrospect, I think that all the taunting and bullying I put up with then and in junior high is part of the reason I became so enamored with the beauty industry as I grew up. As a kid, I was scrawny, shy and tomboy-ish. I wore hand-me-downs and thrift store couture. I didn't have sisters and really had no interest in hair, makeup or what clothes were in style. I didn't watch Full House or the TGIF line-up. I didn't own a necklace full of Bonne Bell Lip Smackers. Of course, all this made made me an instant target. Read more...

Alright, so you've heard it time and time again, but I'm going to reiterate. When you're pinching pennies, enlisting the services of cosmetology students at a local school is a great option.

I will say that personally, I'm not ready to schedule a haircut, color or waxing service with a student (again, that's just me personally). However, read more

So a little while back I decided to give Shoedazzle a try. I signed up and a few days later received my selection. It was a pretty easy choice because Elixir (above) was the only one out of the five that really caught my eye.

The only down-side to the process was that a week after I made my choice, I received an email saying that the shoes had been shipped. Other reviews I'd read had touted about how fast the shipping was. Anyway, a few days later,read more

Yup. Today I am officially a quarter of a century old. 25 is going to be a tough one to start saying.

On the brightside, I am in a new state, a new city, and have this great chance to start over fresh. My gut is telling me that this move will turn out to be the best plan I've had yet.

Besides, I can still tell people I'm 23.

:)

You could spend $58.95 on these

Rampage Halston Peep Toe Bootie

@ Endless

Or you could spend about $30 less on a near identical pair

Mossimo Kaylen Peep Toe Bootie

@ Target

(**Sidenote: Endless does have some extremely cute styles on sale right now.)

Since moving I keep going back and forth about school. Do I go back and finish my associates (and then my bachelors)? Or do I go back to beauty school and get my full cosmetology license? In this economy, isn't it better to have a skill then just a job?

I've had my esthetics license for five years, and honestly have always kicked myself for not just sacrificing a year and being able to do hair as well. (It does help that I have a large number of friends and acquaintances who I see in the field loving their jobs and making great money.) I can't seem to make up my mind about what to do and keep over-analyzing the pros and cons. Oh, decisions. :(

Did you know that 40 to 50 percent of women have keratosis pilaris (aka Chicken Bumps)? This inherited and common condition is caused by an excess of keratin on the skin.

Alas, I am a statistic myself. I've had those dry, rough red bumps on the backs of my arms since before I can even remember. (Such a bummer in tank top weather.) Everything I've read over the years and learned from my esthetics classes has pointed to there being no cure for KP. But there are things you can do to help reduce the appearance of these unattractive bumps.

A few weeks ago I was sent a sample of DERMAdoctor's KP Duty Dermatologist Body Scrub With Chemical + Physical Medi-Exfoliation. I've been using it just twice a week and have seen (and felt!) great results. The bumps on my arm are still there, but they feels like they've been sandpapered down and are way less noticeable. And my skin all over was uber-soft.

You actually apply this scrub before turning on the water. (I would suggest applying in the tub though, as it can leave some residue on your bathroom floor.) The scrub is very abrasive, so not a good choice for super sensitive skin types. It's actually described as a chemical peel and microdermabrasion session rolled into one. But for the rest of us, this product works great not only to reduce the appearance of KP, but it preps skin for self-tanning, bleaching and discourages ingrown hairs and body acne.

Afterwards you want to make sure you (of course) moisturize, which also helps with KP.

You can read more about it at DERMAdoctor's site. A large 16oz jar = $44.