Where the heck have I been?!

Well, I've been a bit everywhere lately!  Things kind of took a crazy course for us right before we moved at the end of June.  My grandfather was suddenly in the hospital, and I debated heading up to see family in Connecticut a few days early rather than waiting for my niece's graduation.  Fortunately, it wasn't too serious, and I was able to keep my original vacation scheduling.  Unfortunately, I hadn't pre-blogged my articles for while I was gone, and it all snowballed from there.

Here I am with the graduate on my right, her sister on my left, and the little guy is my youngest.

He just loves his cousin!

Then it came time to move into the new house, and that was a debacle deserving of a five-star award in the shit-show department.  Suffice it to say, it was nearly a week after we had the keys to our house before our furniture was delivered.  The movers pulled out of the driveway at 5 pm on Wednesday night, and at 6 pm we had houseguests arriving for my java party!  (Side note: I've recently become a distributor for Javita Coffee Company weight loss coffee and energy coffee.  I'm sure I'll blog more about these products at a later date, but if anyone is interested, you should really check out the website! It's pretty amazing stuff!  A friend of mine's sister has lost 11.5 INCHES from her waist in the last month just by drinking two cups a day.  And I've cut my caffeine habit from 8 cans of soda a day to one cup of the energy coffee.)

The party went great, I sold a bunch of coffee, and that was our first night in the new house.  Noon the next day my sister and her family came for the 4th of July, guests for our BBQ arrived around 3, and it was yet another late night.  In the meantime, I was preoccupied and not blogging.  But I did have a great time spending a few days with my sister, her husband, and my two gorgeous nieces.  The past few days after they left have been furiously scrambling to get my office set up (note to self: if I ever move again, I WILL put the damn printer cords in the same box as the printer...) and my studio set up so that I can finally get back to filming videos and taking clients again.  Lots of upcoming brides need their lash extensions and spray tans to look super fabulous on their strut down the aisle!  The next set of family comes on the 15th and stays for 9 days, so I've got a log of pre-blogging to do this time!  July and August are always my vacation months, with family coming and then going down to Florida for a while to visit that half of the family. 

I recommend buying stock in IKEA.  I'm going to be spending a LOT of money there in the next few months...

Once school hits again in the fall, we're done with family and traveling, and have gotten all settled in, I'm looking forward to waking up every morning, writing up a new blog article, and relaxing a bit.  Nah, who am I kidding?  My life is whirlwind on the calmest of days, and I wouldn't know how to live any other way!  Hope you enjoy the ride as much as I do!

Product Review- Real Techniques Makeup Brushes

Today's blog post is a little bit of a "cheat".  Here's my latest product review video for YouTube, where I talk about each of the different Real Techniques makeup brushes and how I like to use them.  I could go on and on in the blog about how freakin' amazing these makeup brushes are and how much I love them, but I think for something like this a "show and tell" method gets the message across so much more nicely.

You can see the Real Techniques makeup brushes mixed in with my other brands... ready for a wash on a Friday night!

I think I own probably about 300-400 brushes.  I have tried every line out there at some point, and none have impressed me as quickly as the Real Techniques makeup brushes.  I apologize that this video is kind of long, but 1. Let’s be honest here, we all know I’m a chatty Cathy, and 2. I own I think every brush they make.  So there’s a lot to go over.  Hope you enjoy it.   

Products Used or Shown:

Real Techniques Expert FaceBrush

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

Real Techniques Essential Foundation Brush

Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush

Real Techniques Detailer Brush

Real Techniques Foundation Brush

Real Techniques Contour Brush

Real Techniques Blush Brush

Real Techniques Multi-Task Brush

Real Techniques Stippling Brush

Real Techniques Setting Brush

Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush

Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush

Real Techniques Accent Brush

Real Techniques Brow Brush

Real Techniques Pixel Point Eyeliner Brush

What do you think?  Would you or will you buy these brushes? Have you tried them already?  How do you feel?  Let's get some feedback!

**Update*** 10/23/13:  These brushes are now available online at Target.com and inside your local Target stores!

IBS Makeup Haul

Just a taste of my IBS haul!

Last week in my Life Update blog, I told you about my trip to NYC to the International Beauty Show.  Well, today I'm going to share with you some of the amazing things I got on my shopping trip!

There were several nail polish companies there, and I was super excited to see Essie was one of them!  They were only $4 a bottle, and when you bought 5 bottles you got a sixth free.  It was a no brainer to give everyone convenient six bottle boxes to hold their purchases in.  Not all of my colors are shown in the photo, and I plan on doing a separate blog with individual swatches, but it was mostly pinks/purples and fun summery colors.  China Glaze was there as well for even cheaper, and I got two Textured colors, a Holographic color, and a Crackle among the regular colors.

There were very few makeup companies there.  IBS is really more about hair than anything else, and since I haven't started cosmetology school yet, I didn't want to spend too much money on hair products that I can't use to their full potential.  I do a fair job at styling my clients for their boudoir shoots, but next year I'm looking forward to buying some really nice shears and salon equipment for my in home set up.

Just a small sample of the stuff I got from Stila!

However, Stila was there, and they had so many good deals I just couldn't say no to! There convertible colors were 5 for $55!  I mean, really?!  Who could walk away from that?!  I had never tried them, so I was excited to pick up five beautiful colors.  I've used them at a couple of shoots already, and they are so nice.  I love that you can use them for lips and cheeks.  I've got a more in depth review coming up next week on them with some nice swatches, too.  Also in my bag were four more of their stay all day lipcolors, a lip and cheek stain (that I realized after one use I'm allergic to!), and some eye liners.  I love everything from Stila, and could have totally spent a couple hundred more buying one of everything, but I have to save some for The Makeup Show coming up in two weeks!

I also got some lipstick palettes for work from Mehron and some individual pans of my favorite colors for myself in some beautiful bright shades.   I'm one of those customers the people at the booths love.  I walk right up, rattle off all the specific things I need, and just hand them a credit card.  I shop from Mehron once a year, so refilling my favs is always a necessity by the time the shows roll around in the spring.

I can't wait to show you some swatches next week of some loose pigment stacks I got from Color Revolution.  They are so gorgeous!  You can see three of the four stacks I got standing up in the back.

There were lots of booths selling cute beauty industry related jewelry, and I loved this little lipstick necklace so much I couldn't walk away.  Next year I'll be sure to have a bigger budget for the "fun" stuff vs the "work" stuff. 

I'm such a sucker to a live demonstration on myself.  If you can get me to sit down in a chair to show me how your works, I'm already 90% sold.  I barely make eye contact with the people at the kiosks in the mall who want to buff my nails or straighten my hair blah blah blah.  I'm just not interested.  But at big trade shows, I'm there to shop for the best new products for my beauty arsenal, so you've got a pretty good chance of selling me a flat iron so long as it doesn't burn my hair off. And that's totally what happened.  I'm the proud new owner of yet another flat iron! haha.  But this was a fancy one that didn't cost only $19.99 at Target, so maybe I'll actually use it on myself for once.

Another random buy- a ring cleaning kit.  I've bought the solution from a bridal show before, so I know that the nice "professional" stuff is way better than the crap I usually pick up from Walmart's jewelry department, and this set was only $30.  Oh, and it was pink.  It came with a polishing paste, cloth, small basket for soaking, and a large bottle of the solution.

Not shown but also purchased were lots of makeup brushes (like I need anymore... I own over 300 already), a roll up makeup organizer, lash extensions supplies, some skincare from HydroPeptide, and other various makeup supplies like spatulas and metal mixing palettes. 

I got a new bag for my boudoir makeup kit, and after needing to carry it up the six flights of stairs to the studio this past week, and I can tell you it was worth every penny!  Best buy of the show, hands down!

Overall, it was a very successful trip, and I'm so thankful this year I brought a rolling suitcase.  It was a really long day.  I had to be up super early to catch the bus out of Arlington for the four and a half hour ride there, and then didn't get back until after 11 pm that night.  But the deals were totally worth it.  There's very little on my list that I need to purchase at the Makeup Show next month, but I'll still probably bring a suitcase with me anyway.  Inglot is going to be there, and I'm already thinking of the rainbow in my head of colors I want to grab...

Get to Know Me TAG

***This blog was supposed to auto-post on Monday, when I knew I wasn't going to be getting much computer time while my father in law was in town.  Sadly, it didn't go according to my technologically defunct plans.  So here is one of three posts today to catch back up on what should have been going on earlier in the week!***

I saw this on the blog of the lovely Emily of Beauty Broadcast and thought this would be a great addition to my blog.  Being fairly new to blogging again outside the wedding world, I think it's a great way to put information out there for new readers to read as they find my blog!  (BTW, if you haven't checked out Emily's blog or her YouTube channel, I highly recommend it!  She's very personable and knowledgeable and one of my favorite artists to follow!)

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

Neither.  It's got a bit of wave to it when I let it air dry.

2. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

Again, neither.  Being in the beauty industry, I have a lot of friends who are hairdressers! lol.  My business partner Krystal is the one I trust with my cuts and colors and is responsible for my vibrant red.

3. Do you wear the same style everyday, or do you change it?

I pretty much keep it in a ponytail most days.  I'm trying to grow my hair out, so I'm not sure how to style it right now.  And the only times I really "do" my hair, it's when I'm working, and it's easier for me to throw it in a ponytail to get it out of my face or in a sock bun. 

4. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

Pedicures in a salon always!  It's my time to get out of the house away from the chores, the kids, the dog, the husband. haha.  I'll gladly pay $30-40 for someone else to rub my feet and pamper me.  It's great after a stressful day.  I don't really do my fingernails much b/c I spend so much time typing, but I want to start experimenting and trying new brands and colors, especially for the blog.

5. How often do you change your nail polish?

Not very b/c it's not on much.  But when I wear it, I have to redo it every 3 days b/c typing makes it chip so much.  Unless it's a gel mani.   

6. Do you polish your toes in the winter or just the summer?

Year-round.  I need just as much relaxation in winter as in the summer, even if the only one to see my toes is my hubby.

7. How long does it take for you to put on makeup?

About 25 minutes. 

8. What do you do first? Face or eyes?

Face.  I just always learned that way. And I think that if I'm having a "good skin day" (come on, you know what I mean) and my face looks really good, I don't necessarily need more eye makeup.

9. Do you collect makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

Collect.  As in hoarder style.  It's an addiction.

10. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

Almost never.  Only if I'm doing a specific look that requires it, but I take them off right after.  I'm not a fan of how they look on me.

11. Do you do a full face of makeup everyday?

 Nope.  Only when I'm doing a wedding and I might be in the background of people's photos.  I make sure that for weddings I'm always looking put together and professional.

12. Do you wear makeup when you're home alone or with family?

 Nope.  When I'm not filming a tutorial or testing products, I don't put makeup on myself.  I feel like it's almost a waste, haha.  Not that I'm going to run out any time soon of course...

13. Will you leave the house without makeup?

Yup.  All the time.  Like I mentioned before, I do my makeup for events and stuff, but I don't feel the need to wear it all the time.  I've gotten away from really doing much for my own looks lately, and I've got to turn that around.  I swore I'd never become one of those moms who completely ignores their looks, and after two kids and total burnout from work it took me over.

14. How many high-end products do you have?

I have no clue how many products I own at all, but about 80% are high end.  I've started to buy more drugstore brands to evaluate them compared to my high end products, but so far I'm still a proponent of investing in good makeup that will last and is better for your skin.

15. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you're getting dressed?

  I work from home most of the time, so my outfits really consist mostly of pj's.  But when I'm going out and need "real clothes" I definitely put a lot of thought into it.

16. How often do you change your handbag?

Every season.  I usually do a basic black for winter, bright colors for spring and summer, and warm tones for fall.

17. What time do you wake up and go to sleep?

I'm "up" by 7 am every morning with my kids, but every other day my husband and I take turns on who gets up with them to get them ready for school, etc.  Weekends I might be up as early as 4 am to get ready for a wedding.  I'm usually in bed between 11 and 12 every night, but I have insomnia problems and fall asleep around 2 am.

18. How often or when do you workout?

 Never.  I'm the laziest person you'll probably ever meet.

19. Left handed or right handed?

Right.

20. How tall are you?

5'5" 

21. Do you speak any foreign languages?

I can read a fair amount of French, but I really can't speak it or any other languages beside English.

22. How many pets do you have?

Do my kids or husband count? No?  Ok.  Then I have one dog, Bebe, an eight year old Sheltie.  We also have to fish tanks with a ton of Platys and Mollies.  They breed worse than rabbits, but I have no idea how many are in there right now.

23. How often are you on Blogger?

Every weekday.  I try to make sure that I'm posting the day's blog or working ahead to get blogs ready for future days.  On weekends I'm busy with weddings and spending some time with my family, but I do try to keep my iPad open at night on the couch to read through my favorite blogs via Bloglovin' or SheSaidBeauty.

24. Do you read comments posted on blogs?

Any that are posted on my own, but I don't really read through the posts before mine when I comment on someone else's blog.

25. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

Yes.  I have a little notepad that I keep track of product I want to try based on blogs and YouTube videos along with ideas for future blog articles I want to write.  I try to keep with with me any time that I'm watching or reading.

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

It's based on my freelance makeup company.

27. What kind of camera do you use for your photographs?

I love doing photography as a hobby, but my recent move has made it difficult to get my professional quality equipment out and use.  But when I am, I shoot with a Canon 5D or Canon Rebel T3i (for videos).  Lately though I've been relegated to using my iPhone 4.

28. How often do you clean your house?

I have a cleaning service come in weekly.  Besides pedicures every 6 weeks or so, it's the one thing I treat myself to.  I figure my husband and I work really hard for our money, and we invest and save and are pretty frugal for most things, that I can splurge a little so that I have more time in my day to spend with my kids.

29. What's your favorite color?

Pink! 

30. Do you swear?

Like an f'ing sailor.  It's a very very bad habit that I've had since I was a kid.  Thankfully, my husband isn't totally turned off by it nor does he have a potty mouth like me.  Our kids take after him instead of me!

31. What are you doing with the rest of your day?

Right now it's 9 pm, so I'm going to chat some with my mother in law and watch a little tv before bed.

Life Update and A Bit of An Apology

Here's just inside the entrance to IBS in NYC on Monday.  I'm so short you can't get a real gauge how far back it goes, but it literally takes HOURS to walk it all!

First let's start with the apology:  I'm sorry I haven't been blogging in almost two weeks!  Aack!  It's been one thing after another for the past week and a half, and this is literally the first time I'm sitting down to a computer in nearly two weeks.  And it's just my laptop, which I JUST figured out I can use an SD card with! Yay for learning new things.

This is what adventures in SuzanneLand has looked like for the past 9 days:

Monday, April 8th-  I got up at the buttcrack of dawn to drive an hour away for a photoshoot at a BBQ place for a local magazine.  Tons of fun!  I got to work with one of my favorite photographers in the area, Jonathan Thorpe, and one of my super beautiful model friends Jessica on this shoot.  I haven't seen either of them in almost a year, so it was extra nice to have them on set.  The theme was a bride and groom eating BBQ, and they got crazy messy- on purpose!- for the pictures.  I can't wait to see the final product, but I did snap a few phone shots for fun.  Here's one of them chowing down on the saucy mess!

Tuesday, April 9th- I actually had a day where I wasn't working, but it was time to get things ready for the final move what was supposed to be the following day...

Wednesday, April 10th-  Moving day... or Day 1 rather.  We moved our furniture in a Uhaul and figured we could get the rest in our van with trips back and forth between our house and my mother in law's house where we're staying until our new house is finished being built this June.  So much for that plan!

Thursday, April 11th-  After several pulled muscles, two Uhaul loads, and being up until nearly 1 am, we still weren't finished!  I also had a lash extensions client and a mobile spray tanning client in the middle of all that.  My right toes still have dark brown drip marks from where my gun leaked and I was wearing sandals.  (Note to self: When moving, leave yourself more than one available pair of shoes.)

Friday, April 12th-  Closing day.  We were able to get a moving company in the early morning to help us load up the rest of the stuff before the new owners took possession.  My back was so sore I could barely move, so I had to cancel my photoshoot at the boudoir company and find a replacement artist.  Thankfully, one of my team members Samantha was able to step in for me.  I treated myself to some ice cream for lunch, because honestly, it was an ice-cream-for-lunch kind of day.  My three year old loved the concept and has been asking for more "Frosty Moose!" for lunch since.  (It's going to be dangerous living about a mile away from such an awesome ice cream parlor!)

Saturday, April 13th-  Early wedding in Washington, D.C. for a group of uber blonde bridesmaids and bride.  She wanted them all to look like Barbie dolls, and we accommodated!  I finished out my day with some R&R at the spa for a facial, manicure, and pedicure.  This time I tried a shimmery dark blue on my toes, and I still don't know how I feel about it.

Sunday, April 14th- I slept.  For 14 hours straight and still was exhausted. Thankfully, I didn't have anything pressing on my agenda.  I had originally planned to go to NYC for The International Beauty Show, but since my ticket wasn't dated, I went on Monday instead.

Monday, April 15th-  Got up at 5 am to take a 4 1/2 hour bus ride up to NYC for The International Beauty Show.  Spent the next five hours walking every booth in the convention and hitting up the spa convention as well for even more amazing finds.  The deals were extraordinary, and I probably overspent.  Ok, so I totally overspent, but there were some things I just couldn't say no to.  I made out like a fox at Essie, China Glaze, Stila, and more.  I can't wait to show you guys some amazing new products!

As if IBS wasn't big enough, there was a whole other convention included in my ticket, The International Esthetics, Cosmetics, and Spa Conference.  I was in skin care heaven!

Tuesday, April 16th-  One errand after another, I did manage to fit in a quick round of golf with my husband before he left on his annual golf trip in Georgia with his father.  It's our tradition every year that I play 9 holes with him, which means that I only play golf once a year.  Which also in turn means I spend the first three holes getting hopping mad that I suck and not having a good time at all.  Logically, I know I can't be competitive, but emotionally it just drives me bonkers not to "do" what I'm thinking.  You know what I mean?

And that brings us to today.  It's after 7 pm, and in between boiling some pasta for my kids I'm typing this up.  I spent the morning watching The Hunger Games while my little guy watched Busytown and just enjoying it being the two of us.  Then it was time to get to work.  I had emails galore to return, and with six weddings, one wedding trial, and four upcoming boudoir photoshoots between now and the end of the month, I need to get ahead of the game or I'll lose my marbles.

What's your least favorite part about moving?  Is there anything you like about it?  Share your thoughts with me!