BYE BYE BLOG....follow me on YOUTUBE!

So, I've been a liiiiiitle inactive on here.  Let me explain why - I LOVE making videos for you all.  Writing the blog portion...not so much.  SO, I've decided to dedicate all my online-blogging energy towards YouTube only.  It got to the point that I was basically just using blogger as a 'middle man'.  The commenting feature is LEAPS AND BOUNDS better on YouTube - so it's easier for me to keep in contact with you all on there.  PLEASE SUBSCRIBE on there! :)  See ya never, Blogger!

http://www.youtube.com/nottwonormal

SHE SAID - Vday Eyes #2

As promise, all drugstore products on the eyes!...plus I throw in a weird strategy I use to make my eyes look a bit.....unique.....in a good way!  Just watch and see what I mean! :)

Passin On Dat Liebster Goodness

Ok, so let me be honest guys, I wasn't quite sure what this whole Liebster-thing was about.  I was obviously flattered to be 'nominated' by two people (thank you, Yasmin and Justine), and I definitely enjoyed answering their questions...but I was still sitting here wondering What exactly is this whole Liebster Award thing??  SO, I obviously took to Google to solve the mystery that is Liebster.  The website I found with the most in-depth description is here (thank you, Lorraine!)  But if you want a quick summary: it's basically just a way to pay it forward to fellow bloggers to hopefully promote their blog and show them support.  

Ok, now I'm speaking directly to the people I nominate to do this activity.  First off, thank you all for reading this post if you're unfamiliar with my blog.  According to Liebster 'rules' I'm supposed to ask you to 'follow' me.......that being said, I don't know if all of you will even want to follow me, hah, but if you do, I invite you to follow me on here, YouTube, Bloglovin, or Instagram!  Pick your poison!  I know some of you already follow me, so you can just ignore that plea ;)

So basically, I'm down, I'm diggin it, now let the paying it forward begin!  

I ask the following people to answer the eleven questions below:

Mother May I

Just a Strand of Pearls

Jessacana

Tilo Loves Vanilla

Flair of Blair

Sincerely Jenna Marie

Baubles to Bubbles

MJ in the Sky with Glitter

My Beauty Box

Kalyn Price

1. What's up?  Seriously, what's happening right when you type this?

2. How did you come up with your blog name?

3. What is your favorite part about blogging?

4. Least favorite?

5. What's the very first outfit you can remember wearing?

6.  What's the last makeup product you bought?

7.  Did you have an 'awkward' phase growing up?  Describe it!

8.  What's your all-time favorite movie?

9.  What're you wearing as you type this? (how creepy does that sound, hah)

10. It's the weekend, do you go out, or prefer to stay in?  Why?

11. What's your all-time favorite song?

If you're looking for blogs to read, I encourage you to read any of those I've nominated above!  Thank you as always for reading!  Hope you all have a spectacular night!

SHE SAID - Valentine's Day Eyes

You guys. You guys. You guys.....it's been a hot minute since I did a eyeshadow tutorial.  This one was fun for me to do because I used my current eyeshadow obsession - the LORAC Unzipped pallet.  If you have some spare money set aside for eyeshadows, I highly recommend picking up this versatile little darling. (Yes, I said 'darling').  But, no fear! - you definitely don't need this pallet to achieve this look, just similar colors of any brand!  Just a heads up, I plan on doing another Vday look next week using only drugstore shadows, so be on the lookout for that!  Thank you as always for watching,  please subscribe to me on YouTube if you haven't already. You can do so HERE. Doooo itttt.

SHE SAID - The Liebster Award!......wait, the what?

So apparently this is a real thing!  'The Liebster Award' is--as I understand--a way for 'undiscovered' bloggers to promote each other and say Job well done, friend!  Tell me more about your fine self! ....ok, maybe I'm paraphrasing a bit...you can find the full explanation on the two blogs that (amazingly (and surprisingly)) enough nominated ME for one!  Made my day! :)  

Meet Yasmin over on her blog Lipsiie, she is a beauty blogger from London!  I'll list the questions below that she asked me along with my responses!

1) What is your favourite makeup brand, one being budget and one highend?  This is hard!  For every product I gravitate towards different brands...so I'll split it up somewhat:
     Eyeshadows:  Wet n Wild // MAC
     Lipstick:  Maybelline // MAC
     Eyeliner:  Rimmel // Urban Decay
     Foundation:  Revlon // Bare Minerals
     Mascara:  Maybelline // Too Faced

2) What is your favorite lipstick?  MAC "All Fired Up" is my jjaaaammmmmmm.  Watch me blab about it here.

3) Three makeup products you could not live with out?  Mascara, Concealer, and a bold lipstick

4) Three things you have to do before you leave the house- beauty related? (e.g. wear foundation, fill in brows).  Mascara and chapstick for sure....and I always prefer to have concealer/foundation on to feel 'my best'

5) Describe yourself in three words?  Random, weird, creepy (...........but in a friendly way! muahaha)

6) The inspiration behind your blog?  Desire to be part of the 'beauty community'!

7) Drugstore foundation or high end, which one?  My all-time favorite is Bare Minerals Original Foundation, but I'm currently exploring the world that is Drugstore foundation....and I'm having tons of fun doing it! - check out my Foundation Series videos if you haven't already!  Start here.

8) What was your first piece of makeup that you owned or brought? I can vividly remember taking chapstick VERY SERIOUSLY as a child, hah, I even had a "lip brush" to apply it with.  But the first REAL makeup products I received were in 7th grade, I've written all about it here.

9) Name one high end beauty product that was a disappointment?  MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer....what a paste-y mess!  It's just too thick for me!  I've re-purposed it as a sticky-base to use with some eyeshadows, but it's going to take me FOREVER to get through it.

10) What country would you like to travel to and why?  Ummmmmmm......there's still plently of places in the US I need to get to first!

11) One beauty product on your wish list?  Stila "Kitten" eyeshadow!  MUST. GET. WILL. GET.  Just not sure when!

Now, meet Justine!  Justine and I have became quick friends on Instagram, and I'm excited to get to know her better!  Here are the things she wanted to know about me!

1. What made you start blogging? I just had so much 'built up' makeup-fodder in my head that needed to be documented in SOME WAY.  Derek and I started the blog together, but we both knew I'd have a heavy makeup-hand on it......

2. What do you love the most about blogging? Answering makeup questions!  I LOVE when people online (and in person) trust my answers!

3. What is you favorite drugstore brand? All in all probably Maybelline

4. What 3 beauty products could you not live without? Mascara, Concealer, and a bold lipstick

5. Dramatic eyes or Dramatic lips? At first I put 'lips' without giving it a second thought.....but that's just because I'm currently on a lipstick-kick of sorts.......if I really think about it, I'd say eyes because creating eye looks is my favorite part of makeup!

6. How long does your everyday beauty routine take you?  My everyday routine for work takes me 10 minutes, but if it's on the weekends, my 'everyday' makeup will take about 15 minutes or longer!

7. When did you first get into makeup and why?  Ohhhhh so long ago.  Read about it here.  You'll especially enjoy the photo on that post...

8. Did you make any beauty or fashion "faux pas" when you were younger?  Ohh yes.  I have a whole post dedicated to them!  Check it out here!

9. What beauty product are you most excited for in 2014?  My LORAC Unzipped pallet has quickly became a favorite of mine in my eyeshadow collection.  I'm excited to keep playing with it!

10. What is your favorite perfume?  I have a few that I jump around between, but I gravitate towards Calvin Klein CK One

11. Who is your biggest beauty inspiration?  I'm honestly not sure about this one!  I admire so many of the "beauty gurus" (uughh I cringe at that word, guru....ugh!) for different reasons.  I'll try to somewhat explain:

EmilyNoel83 - she has a VAST AMOUNT of reviews and is very eloquent in explaining her pros/cons of each...her husband is really funny when he makes video appearances too

Elle & Blair Fowler - they're from Kingsport, guys!  Kingsport!  But now they're big timers in LA!

VintageOrTacky and Xsparkage - they both are fearless with their makeup and get me excited to try 'out there' things

MakeupByAlli - she seems so cool....just watch her and you'll see what I mean.

KandeeJohnson - her HEART is as beautiful as her face.  And trust me, she's hott.

CarlieStylez - Carlie is drop-dead gawww-jusss and extremely REAL.  Her videos and posts are inspirational and motivate me to be a better me...check her out and see if she motivates you too!

Shwewww, ok, that was a long post guys!  If you've made it this far and are still reading - THANK YOU!  I appreciate your support!  A big thank you to Yasmin and Justine for letting me in on this happening!  Since this post is already so long, I'm going to do another post at a later date to nominate some friends to do this!  Be on the lookout for that!

SHE SAID - New Beauty Guru Tag!

For the record, I definitely don't consider myself 'guru' status on YouTube...however, that's the name of this tag...so work with me.  So, what is a tag?  Basically a 'tag' is a video on YouTube that's trending - many people upload 'their' version of the video where they answer various questions or do various things.  I plan on doing more of them in the future, but this one caught my eye!  Let me know if you like videos like this!

Husband and Wife SUPERBOWL TRIVIA!

Ok, here goes!

SHE SAID - So...This Whole Blogging Thing

Derek and I hopped on this blogging-train not knowing what to expect.  We honestly had't even read many other blogs in general to know what 'type' of blog we wanted to be.  We just knew we felt compelled to start one to tell our family, friends, and basically anyone willing to read it about the good work of Dave Ramsey. 

Exactly 1 video and 3 posts later the DR-train got derailed, hah.  We weren't sure how best to get people excited about DR through our posts without sounding robotic about the 'Baby Steps' of DR, so we felt a bit discouraged and decided to let the blog 'rest' for a bit while we gathered our thoughts. (Honestly DR's books are written so well, the main point we can make is just READ THEM and let him get you excited!)

We had mentioned that the blog was going to branch off into our own personal interests in time in the 'Intro!' video...little did we know it'd branch off muuuuchhh sooner than planned, hah. As I've said multiple times, DR posts will.come.again.  

I promise.

But for now, let me tell you what I've learned this far this this whole blogging thing process...

SHE SAID - Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation Review

I spotted this stuff in a sale basket at KMart.  Yes, KMart.  Mine actually has a great selection of makeup!  I hadn't heard ANYTHING about this product before buying it...

watch the video to see if it's one of the best kept secrets in drugstore foundation...or not worth talking about.

SHE SAID - MAC Lipsticks First Impressions

All I can say is......why did I wait so long on these?!

Oh, right, I know, the crazy PRICE.  It's ridiculous. 

But is it worth it?...watch to see!

SHE SAID - Random Rambles (No. 2)

Alright fraannds,  right after I filmed this I thought of SO many other things that I wished I had shared with you, so I've started keeping an official RANDOM RAMBLES LIST (oooooh I's fancy!). What's on the list? You'll have to wait until next time to know...but for now, enjoy this little blurb of brain fodder in my current video.

(that sounded fancy too didn't it?)

SHE SAID - Bloopers No. 3

The screw-ups just keep a'comin.  And I wouldn't have it any other way...otherwise I wouldn't be able to deliver such gems as this!

SHE SAID - INGLOT Lipsticks Review!

So I'm reasonably well 'versed' in INGLOT eyeshadows...but it wasn't until our last trip to NYC that I decided to try their lipsticks.  Here's what I've got to say:

SHE SAID - Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara Review

So I bashed a bit on the L'Oreal Butterfly...hear what I think about this one!

SHE SAID - A Book Review (whaaattt?!)

SO I’m changing the pace up today and doing something a liiiittle different. Ok, a lot different – but with a new year comes new goals, new ideas, and sometimes a new ‘you’ – and this book would be a GREAT one to start the year out with to set you on the right path.

Ok, for starters, let me tell you how I was introduced to this book. One of my coworkers felt led to do something “uncomfortable” for God this Fall. She felt challenged to step out of her comfort zone, so she led a Bible Study group at our work.  I, along with a few other women jumped at the chance and thus were introduced to “Unglued” by Lysa TerKeurst.

I could sum up “Unglued” by saying it’s a ‘good self-reflecting book’…but that wouldn’t be doing it justice. It’s SUCH a ‘good self-reflecting book’ that it deserves its own blog post.  “Unglued” is a compilation of stories of where Lysa had come ‘unglued’ (aka frazzled, angry, bitter, loud, nasty, manipulative…etc., etc. you get the point) – and how she’s taken time during the moment/after the moment to reflect on WHY she became that way and her ongoing struggle of becoming a better person.

Let’s face it, we all react and think negatively ALL THE TIME. Wouldn’t you like to change that? With reading this book I’ve found myself digging deeper within to figure out why I think this, why I dislike that, why that person annoys me, why I’d like to create a voodoo doll of this person (ok, maybe that’s a stretch, but you get the idea).

Lysa’s writing style has a friendly-feel and is super easy to read. While reading the book for my Bible Study I only read the assigned chapters for each session as opposed to reading the book all the way through at once. If you do pick this book up, I recommend doing a slower-pace reading (even if you’re reading by yourself) so you can take a few days to reflect on what you’ve read/make notes/let it sink in before moving on to the next chapters.

While I don’t think you need to be in a group setting to gain a plethora of self-reflecting-goodness from this book, I do think it was beneficial to hear other people’s reactions to the chapters…so if you ever need a second persons perspective – I’m here! Seriously, I’m here.