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.

SHE SAID - New Years FAILS!

New Year's resolutions?  Yep, I got 'em.

SHE SAID - Beauty Blender 101

Want to know more about this funky little thing?

Winston the Santa Pug

Calling all Winston lovers (and also all people who like to watch dogs in ridiculous outfits) this post is for you!  We said we'd never be those people who dressed their pet up in actual clothing...but we broke the rules this Christmas season just for you!

 

Merry Christmas!

SHE SAID - Face Routine Using Maybelline Dream Nude Airfoam

 To continue my "Foundation Series" (....sounds so fancy, right?! hah), I wanted to share with you my makeup routine I've tended to use while wearing the Maybelline Dream Nude Airfoam foundation.  I've already posted a review of this product here - I definitely recommend watching it first because I refer back to it a few times in this video.

Alright, enough typing. 

Let's do some makeup.

SHE SAID - A Review: L'Oreal Lash Out Butterfly Mascara

Alright, let's get down to the nitty gritty on this mascara.

SHE SAID - OCC Lip Tars

Ok, I know what you're thinking...Lip Tar?  That sounds gross!  Well trust me, they're not gross, they're glorious!  Let me tell ya about them!

SHE SAID - New York City HAUL-ish Thing!

I got a few gems while shopping in NYC last week!  I plan on doing in depth reviews on most of the makeup products at a later date, so stay tuned for those!

SHE SAID - Bloopers No. 2

So like I said in my Random Rambles post...I have a hard time making a point sometimes...

SHE SAID - Random Rambles

The title speaks for itself...here's me...being random.  

(AKA my normal self)

SHE SAID - Currently Stalking

As I mentioned in Part I of How To Know When To Buy, to keep myself from impulse buying, I tend to stalk items.  Sometimes I even stalk for YEARS as you'll see in this video...

SHE SAID - Maybelline Dream Nude Airfoam Review

Winston helps me review Maybelline's Dream Nude Airfoam! Hope you enjoy!

SHE SAID - Foundation Series Intro!

Here's what you can expect from the "Foundation Series" I'm doing!  If you have drugstore suggestions you'd like to see me use - please let me know!

SHE SAID - My Skin Type

What's yours?

 





SHE SAID - A Review: Bare Minerals Original Foundation

Here's a quick review of Bare Minerals Original Foundation!

Got Derek?

Want some Derek?  Tell us what you're interested in hearing/seeing from him!

SHE SAID - My Everyday Face Routine

Want to see what I currently do on my face daily?  The whole routine (when I'm not narrating it) takes me about 3 minutes or less.  Seriously.  It's super easy, quick, and effortless.....hence why I've been doing basically the same thing since 2005.  :)

SHE SAID - Three Toned Look

One color, three tones.  Easy peasy!

SHE SAID - Bloopers

So as I record these, I mess up.  A lot.  Like a lot lot.  Here's just a liiiitle taste of it.

SHE SAID - Question & Answer

So you asked, and now I've answered!....as best I can.  If you have other questions (makeup related or not) just post them below and I'll do another Q&A video down the road!

SHE SAID : Easy Perky Pony

I'm not a fan of the word "perky". but that's honestly what best describes this easy hairstyle. So grab a couple bobbi pins and prepare for perkiness galore!

SHE SAID : Fall Look #2

Here's a fun and festive way to use orange eyeshadow. I LOVE using orange eyeshadow to warm up any look, and I really enjoy making such an 'unwearable' color wearable by using it to add a pop of color. 

So go ahead, try some orange on your eyes!  You just might like it!

SHE SAID - (Unfortunately I'm) Down With the Sickness

So if you don't know the song "Down With the Sickness" that title probably made zero sense, but it's ok, I'll forgive you - as long as you forgive me of failing to do a makeup video this week. I had full intentions of filming my second "Fall Look" this weekend....then I got sick on Thursday...and now I sound like a man and am hacking up a lung every two seconds.  Basically, it's not pretty, and if you're like me, when you're sick, makeup is the last thing you feel like putting energy towards.  For the past two days all I've managed to put on my face (besides face wash/moisturizer) is a little bit of concealer...and that's just so I don't feel like I look unbearable - my face always decides to go breakout crazy when I'm sick!  Dear doctor friends - is this normal?  I could probably Google that, but that takes effort...and writing this up is all the effort I'm putting forth on the internet today.  So now I'm off to have Nurse Winston continue to take care of me till Derek gets home from work.  

SHE SAID - 50 Random Facts

Let's get weird.

SHE SAID - Fall Look #1 (Green to Gold)

You like Fall?  So do I.   Let's do some makeup.

SHE SAID - How To Know When To Buy (Part II)

First off, if you haven't read Part I of this topic, I definitely recommend you do!  Now, on to more ways that I talk myself out of (and in to) purchasing things!

I mentioned in Part I that I stalk the product.  It's true - I try to not do impulse buys.  Part of my stalking strategy includes watching YouTube reviews/tutorials of the product.  One tip when doing this is to watch reviews done by girls who match your hair color/skin tone if possible.  I realize this isn't always easy - but it'll help you get a better idea of what a particular color of any product will look like on you before purchasing.  This tactic definitely helps when purchasing drugstore makeup since they typically do not have tester items.  

For department store makeup, you have the luxury of testers at your fingertips!  You can swatch to your hearts desire to know instantly if you do/do not like a particular color of product.  At a makeup counter you can also have the workers test the products on you.  If you're not sold completely on a product while in the store, have them put it on you then wear it out of the store, away from the salesperson, out of the fluorescent lights, and in to your every day life to see if it really fits YOU.  You are the only person who can decide that, and sometimes you need to sit with it for awhile to know if you're sold on it.

Now let me tell you my biggest secret yet about buying...ok, so it's not a secret, but it may put a new perspective on your buying.  As I mentioned in Part I, Derek and I budget our spending money monthly.  I usually spend the largest chunk of this money on food, so with whats left over I really can't get much makeup.  SO.......I don't really buy makeup until I have an 'event' happening.  What does that mean?  Well, it means I hold out on buying makeup until it's my birthday, Christmas, or a vacation.  Yes, that's right, I just tell myself NO until I have an event.  Of course there are many items I wish I could by whenever - but I tell myself no now, so later I can tell myself yes (yep, that's a Dave Ramsey saying, hah).  Honestly, all of my 'high dollar' purchases have been during an event, or given as gifts, so the rest of the year I'm typically just buying small purchase items here and there (such as my two new gorgeous Maybelline lipsicks pictured in Part I).  

So now that you know my purchasing secrets, does it change how you'll shop for your makeup? 

SHE SAID - Sleek Purple Eyes

Need a super easy go-to eye that's interesting enough to look like it was difficult to create?.....did that make ANY sense....no?  Well just watch and see what I mean.

SHE SAID - What a Weird Color...

What a wierd color...that's what I thought the first time I saw MAC "Club" eyeshadow at the counter.  And instantly I was in love.  This is a really versatile and fun color to use - here's just one example of an eye look you can do with it!  Also I rig up a neutral lip.

SHE SAID - Where Did You Get That?

So you've heard me gab a few weeks now about products I enjoy...so where do I actually buy them?!  Watch this video to find out!

SHE SAID - How To Know When To Buy (Part I)

Two Maybelline pretties
I bought this week

There's about 45,000 cosmetic products out there.  And if you're like me, you want about 43,961 of them.  Seriously.  So how do you decide when to pull the trigger and spend some cash?  To each his own on when/how/why you want to spend your money, but I want to tell you how I decide to spend.  I've decided to break this up into two posts so I can say everything I want to say on this subject...which is quite a bit!

As you already know from the origination of the blog, Derek and I are Dave Ramsey enthusiasts.  AKA we're stingy with our money.  Kind of.  Basically, we try to budget and not waste money.  Within our budget, we're each allotted $65 of "blow money" every month.  No, that's not drug money, hah, that's blow as in spend-on-whatever-you-want-moolah.  We include eating out individually in that category, so $65 really doesn't go too too far for each of us.  With such a small budget I must choose what I buy very wisely! 

For starters you should know that I do not include my "must haves" in this budget (don't worry, Derek has OKed this!) - for me this means mascara, concealer, and foundation.  If I want to buy additional mascaras, concealers, foundations that DOES count as a blow-money purchase.  Now that that's out of the way, let me tell you the 3 steps I follow when I'm deciding what I'm willing to blow my money on:

1) I think about it - I mean really think about it.  How often will I use the product?  Will it go bad before I use it up?  Do I have other products like this already?

2) I weigh the price against other things I may want to spend my money on - This is going to sound like a joke, but I often times think of money values with the scale of "how many Subway sandwiches will this cost me?" - seriously.  I love me some Subway!  I now also use the weight of 'how many lipsticks could I buy instead?"

3) I stalk the product - I watch multiple YouTube reviews, read articles, gaze longingly at it a few times in stores.

Those steps may sound extreme, but it keeps me from making impulse buys that I'll later regret.  In Part II of this post I'll further discuss how I decide when to spend, and discuss how I choose colors of whatever items I buy (credit to Leah Graham for requesting this topic!)

SHE SAID - Wanna Date Me?

Ok, maybe you can't date me since I'm married - but I can show you a look I'd possibly wear if you did take me out. :)  The main product used in this tutorial is the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette.  Of course, if you don't have this compact you can definitely use any eyeshadows that are similar tones and get the same eye look.