Makeup Favorites - Stila Foundation

So.. I'm mostly addicted to Stila products....

I can't always afford them, but when I can, I totally revel in it. Like a dog rolling around in dirt. I roll around in my Stila products.

For those of you who are not familiar, (basically if you're not a makeup person) Stila goes back to 1994, and has always had eco-friendly packaging and fabulous, fabulous colors. They also somehow manage to peg my super-pale skintone without washing me out or making me yellow.

STILA FAN TIP: Costco sells these AMAZING pallets of eyeshadow and blush around the holidays for $20 - $30. It's like getting $80 off a ton of products. They last me all year!

What I used to use :

Illuminating Liquid Foundation

I can almost give this stuff a 5/5 because it just looks that beautiful on. It gives you that "glow" that everyone seems to want, but it's definitely sheer and slightly sticky without powder (foundation or finishing) on top. My only beef with this is that if you have ANY skin problems, they will show. A good moisturizer and concealer is necessary beforehand. It completely matched my skintone though, which was brilliant, and I got a lot of compliments on my skin. If you're acne prone, stay away! I get mild breakouts and had to switch off this stuff because of it. :( 

Natural Finish Oil-Free Makeup

I could never really get the right color on my skin... I think I was between shades. For being a "natural finish" I was expecting something more matte, and even though it probably wasn't, it felt kind of oily for being oil-free. It definitely gave good coverage though, and blended well. My only other negative is that it seemed to wear off quickly throughout the day compared to others I've tried. If I'd been able to match this to my skintone, I would have given it a 3.5 or a 4. 

What I currently use: 

Stay All Day Foundation and Concealer

I love love love this stuff. I went to Macy's and had their makeup artists scope out my skin and I got the perfect shade. It was actually darker than what I would normally gravitate to, but once it's blended it's totally perfect. The concealer on the top is super for spot coverage, and I mix it with a little brightener for undereye circles. The foundation blends BEAUTIFULLY! I can almost get away with wearing no powder on top. The less powder I put on, the more of a "glow" I get. It totally "Stays All Day" which is amazing for me. I don't like reapplying unless I'm doing a makeup change for going out at night. 

Click Here for Stila's Foundation Shop!

So those are my foundation reviews! Mind you I only get Stila when I get treated to a makeup splurge or am super financially stable, so I plan on doing a "best budget foundations" post in the future. And I plan on doing an "under my foundation" post for my primer, moisturizer, and highlighter reviews. But I can only type so much in one day! 

Cheers, 

Mo

MyFitnessPal - Initial Impression

So I'm trying out MyFitnessPal... endorsed by pretty much every weight-loss blog I've come across. I don't know how effective it will be, but it's been a good motivator so far. Here are my favorite tidbits:

- their database of foods is incredible! I haven't been let down yet, even with health food brands and smaller chain restaurants.

- they have a recipe maker, that calculates what a homemade dish's stats are, and you can save them for later use

- when you are done entering your food intake for the day, it projects what you will weigh in 5 weeks if you ate that day's food every day for 5 weeks (makes you feel good about your food choices!)

- you can log things like "cleaning vigorously" though I think people milk that a little. I doubt when you log 90 minutes of cleaning you're actually burning 600 calories :P


Here's a sample day, granted it isn't a good day by any means! I ate dinner at my Nana's house, so that made for a lot of "homemade" eats, and I didn't have breakfast (tsk tsk) because I ran out of milk and creamer simultaneously, which meant that I didn't wake up or have cereal :P

Things that bum me out are:


- their workout library is ok, but lacking in the yoga department

- they tell you that you can eat more if you work out more (it adds on the number of calories you've burned to the number you can eat in a day) which seems counter-productive to me

But all in all, it's helping me keep track of my food intake in a really easy, free way and I've used it mainly to glance at how I'm doing come dinnertime, which is undoubtably my largest meal of the day.

... and I chose tea tonight instead of another snack because I'd already "closed my log" for today. So it's helping already!


But they have a lot of graphing features, so once I've logged a lot and start losing weight I can see nifty charts and such of my progress. I'm all about nifty tools for encouragement, so this one is getting my vote!

- Mo

Engagement Rings on a Superbudget!

My man and I are going on seven years together. Seven. Years. Why aren't we married, you ask?

It's a complicated answer, but the short version is: we've had horrifically bad luck. We've had jobs fall through, lived with our parents, had one of us snag a great job and left the other in the dust... and moving is SO expensive. So we haven't had time to save, and we're just now taking root in our Sacramento apartment.

Needless to say, there's barely any money for an engagement ring, and I'm already a picky fashionista. So when I woke up from my dream of a big, beautiful ring, I launched an assault on the internet to find some affordable alternatives.

Note: These are my picks and my personal style, not a cross-section of styles.

1. The "closest-to-my-dream-ring" pick - $812.00

This was the most high-end-looking ring I could find with all of my wants. I love rose gold (being pale it totally warms up my skin), my dad introduced me to Morganite, the gorgeous pink gem in the middle, and I've been in love with it ever since, and I've always wished a halo setting with stones wrapped around the ring. Perfect. The price doesn't hurt either :) 

2. The "dependable source" ring - $689.99

This ring is from Costco, who prides themselves on high-quality metals and stones. I can compromise on my classic round shape for a teardrop, because it still has a studded band and a halo setting. Aquamarine is my second favorite gem, after Morganite. The price is fabulous, it's still blingy enough to show off, and small enough to wear without looking like a cocktail ring. 

3. The "Simplified Morganite" ring -  $495.00

The stone is HUGE, and since this is Etsy, I might ask for a smaller, more intricately cut stone. When you're looking at colored stones vs diamonds you're in danger of getting something that looks like costume jewelry. My rule of thumb is nothing that looks bigger than a 1-carat diamond. (Unless you like giant jewelry!)

4. The "Complete Checklist" ring - $770 

Rose gold, halo setting, morganite, and a diamond-studded band make this the complete package. Slightly flimsier looking than its look-alike above, which is why it's down the list. 

5. The "Classic Solitaire" Ring - $550

To be clear, I'm not a solitaire kind of girl. I know it's the quintessential diamond engagement ring for our generation, but its Sooooooo boring. At least for me. If you identify with Charlotte's style on Sex in the City, or maybe Catherine, the new royal, then I get it. But for the price??? I'd gladly don this for a few years until we saved up for something more personal. 

6. The "Work with what you got" Ring $499.99 

I already have a promise ring; I've been wearing it for almost 6 years. (Yes, the boyfriend knew he wanted to marry me three months in!) So using what I already have, and proposing with a wedding band would be our ultimate cheapest option. 

Break for Life

I always forget how much I love taking photos. Almost as much as I love messing around with them in post-production, getting them to that point right between emotion and fact that is more real than what you see with your eyes.

I used to be very introverted. I was always in touch with myself, always knew what was going through my head. I was alone a lot. But now that I'm the other half of a duo, as I have been for six years, sometimes I'm flighty and bothered when left alone. I have very high expectations for myself, so high that I convince myself not to try, because falling short of perfection would be worse that doing nothing. But the nothing is what I've had a problem with lately.

My photographic career is something I've wanted, but never thought I was good enough to have. Whenever I take pictures I get ample praise, but somehow it isn't good enough for me. Maybe I thought I'd be somewhere breathtaking by now, maybe I thought things were going to fall in my lap. I need to dig in deep and roll up my sleeves but I'm scared. Perhaps of failing, of being judged.

So I'll start small and do one thing at a time. And breathe. And tell myself that I have time.

On my photography blog I've started posting projects, thoughts, images... my current entry is called "Textural Ancestry" and is some small thoughts on the strange art of my upbringing.

So I'm hoping that doing small things will give me the courage to do big things. Because I don't feel like I was born to sit in the shadows.

- Morgan

Burt's Bees - Coconut Foot Creme with Vitamin E

I decided to start with one of my favorites.

Secret: I have horrific feet. Seriously, whether I wear socks, slip-ons, running shoes, heels, or flip-flops I end up with crusty heels.

Solution: This stuff.

© 2012 Morgan Elizabeth Photography

I've found it multiple places, the cheapest being at Target for $8.99... and I've definitely seen it as expensive as $13.

What it is: Thick, smells like buttery coconut, and is almost completely natural (part of the fabulocity of the Burt's line.) And that stuff above is shredded coconut, not the creme... in case you wondered. 

 How to use it: For the best results, wash your feet and exfoliate with something heavy-duty, like a pumice stone. I'd suggest putting it on at night, and put on socks after slathering your feet with the stuff to keep the mess to a minium. In the morning, your feet will be anywhere between significantly less rough, to completely smooth. When I keep this up, I can wear sandals (joy!) without the self-consciousness, and play footsie with wild abandon. 

The Cons: There's not much negativity I can muster for this fab creme, but the lack of half a heart is for the fact that my feet don't feel very moisturized in the morning. Smooth, yes, but not hydrated. I usually end up putting on a lighter foot creme that isn't as thick once I shower in the morning. 

So rejoice honey; your feet have salvation! 

Click to buy at Target 

Until next time, 

Mo

Well hello there!

This may not look like much... but it will eventually be the blog you're looking for. 

I'm a makeup junkie; a product whore of sorts. 

Here is where I will post a butt-ton of pictures

Here is where I will give truthful reviews

and here is where I will gush about the things I love. 

Why? I need an outlet. I'm used to having only guy friends and I got all girly in my mid-twenties, so there's no one to talk to about such things. 

About me? 

I went to college for Photography. I do freelance work, but not often. I'd rather have a steady job 

but those are hard to come by. 

I have a spectacular introverted nerdy fiance who loves me. 

I'm on a diet and I can be testy at times because of it. 

Milo is my cat. He will make appearances.

I love well-designed blogs, and people who do "do-able" tutorials. 

I'm not a professional makeup-artist nor do I claim to know what I'm doing most of the time. 

Although I did do makeup on two short films, which was way fun.

So follow me, I plan to post often and wordily. 

<3 - Mo