How to get the perfect summer glow

1. Exfoliate Exfoliate Exfoliate! - I love Laura Mericer body scrub, but any will do. Make sure to exfoliate all areas of the body that you plan to tan. 

2. Tan - I love St. Tropez dark tanning moose. It goes on even and lasts for days.

3. Use a Mitt. - I highly recommend using a tanning mitt when applying self tanners. It helps to eliminate streaks and make the tan look more natural. 

4. Moisturize Moisturize Moisturize - I cant say this enough. The more you moisturize the longer your tan will last. I love Lush King of Skin that you use in the shower. 

5. Re apply - I like to use St. Tropez daily gradual self tanner to maintain my tan. When I use a gradual daily self tanner it helps my tan last longer and stay even. 

I hope these tips help you get and keep the perfect glow this summer!

Trend Report: Spring 2013

Matchy Matchy is 100% in this spring. Pick your favorite separates to create one solid look. 

Reach for your delicate whites this spring and you'll be sure to be a fashion diva!

Go BOLD with the cage print. Always an eye catcher!

We all have it in our closet somewhere... Pull out the wrap that grandma brought back from her travels and rock it!

Spring Beauty Must Have's

1. A BB Cream  - I love Smashbox BB Cream because it has great coverage, and SPF! I like to wear it as a natural foundation on days I don't want to wear alot of makeup. ( I also love Origins VitaZing) 

2. Nude Nail Color - I love butter londons polish because it is long wearing and doesn't chip. 

3. Floral Perfume - I am obsessed with Chloe in the Spring. It has a natural floral scent that is sophisticated and flirty. 

4. Gel Moisturizer - I love love love La Mer skin care products. I like a lighter moisturizer in the spring that isn't heavy or feels weighed down. 

5. Lush Lashes - I love the look of full natural lashes that are enhanced with a great mascara. I like Dior Show but any will do. 

6. Lip Butter - I love Fresh Sugar Lip Balms in spring because they have SPF 15 and a slight tint. They are easy to whip on and make my lips extra kissable.  

Happy First Day of Spring

10 Reasons Why I Love Spring

1. The over abundance of flowers

2. Green grass hills

3. Easter (it has always been my favorite holiday)

4. Perfect weather (not too cold & not too hot)

5. The annual family trip to Chico (it is always a memorable time)

6. My Birthday (April 25)

7. Hiking (it is the perfect time to go)

8. Sun roof is constantly open (perfect time to catch some rays in the car)

9. Spring Cleaning (in with the new & out with the old)

10. Fresh Fruit (I love spring season fruit)

Happy First Day of Spring!

Super Stressed Out

Have you ever been so stressed out that you don't know what to do.

Well I am there right now.

Work is crazy. Plain and simple just crazy.

It started with a huge case I was working on... I was the one who did all of the leg work, gathered all evidence, and did all of the prep work for the case. When it came time for the interview I was not included. I know this may sound lame, but being involved in the interview process is huge. I felt like I had earned the right to be apart of it. But I wasn't. I was not allowed to be part of it. I was so disappointed, and frustrated. It made me question why I was even doing what I am doing...

Now that the case is over, I have gotten the recognition I needed from my corporate boss. But never got the recognition from the people I work with on a daily basis. When I told my manager I needed that, she responded with "I have nothing to compair you to, so I don't know if you did a good job." Really? You have got to be kidding me right now! That alone made me so mad! All I want is for you to tell me I did a good job, (because I did!) and I would be happy doing all of your work for you.

So let me back up a little. My boss is new to this field and doesn't know anything about what I do. How she is my boss and not know what I do is beyond me, but she is. Ok I can deal with that. But I cant deal with her blaming me for things she didn't do. She is the manager, and she is responsible for deadlines, reports, etc. If she doesn't know to do them that is not my responsibility. I am not going to train up. That is not my job. My job is to train the people below me to get them to where I am. Right?

So now that she got in trouble with corporate for a big mistake she made, by not doing a report on time, it is all my fault. No its not, and its frustrating. Now she is out to get me fired. Well that's how I feel.

Every step I make she is watching, waiting for me to make a mistake. I can tell you that I will never get in trouble for the things I do, but I will get in trouble for the things I say.

This is an area of opportunity that I can clearly see and I know that I need to work on.

She knows this too, and is not following me around with a fine tooth comb looking for things that I say that she could get me fired for. Example: one of the guys that works for me cant count cash. Point blank, and simple, he cant count cash. I think he is dyslexic, but hasn't said that to me. But I am almost 99% sure that is what it is. So we obviously know that is not his strong quality. So when I make the schedule I make it 100% even, we all have the same amount of openings as we do closing. Now with rotation one person will have 8 openings and one with have 9 openings. That's totally normal. So when I made the schedule I gave the guy who cant count 8 openings and and the guy who can 9. Normal right. Not to her, she pulled me aside and asked me why I was singling out the guy who cant count. Why I was not being fair in the scheduling. Come on really? So ok I switched it so he has 9 and the other guy has 8, then she was happy.

I just really don't get it. I really don't. I am at a point where I am walking on eggshells everyday. I had my other boss (my boss's boss) come up to me and ask me why I am so quiet lately. I looked at him and asked him if he really wanted me to explain that to him. He knows what is going on, and is neutral on the subject, he isn't on my side or on her side. That's good I guess, he sees both sides. I just couldn't believe he would have the nerve to ask that. Why am I so quiet, well let me tell you, because my boss wants me fired, so now I am not going to say anything until I am spoken to and even when that happens I am not going to say anything other then yes or no.

All of this had made me question why I am still working there. I know my boss wants me out. I know this truly in my soul that she does. I just need to figure out what I am going to do now.

I feel like this is a test of life. And I don't know where to go.

Last week she put me on a performance plan. Saying the my performance in the ability to do my job was not good enough. This is the first step in getting me out. When she delivered the performance plan it took me by complete surprise. There was no previous conversations about it, nothing. I was just called into her office and told that I was being placed on a performance plan. With no warning. Obviously I was a little taken back and had thousands of questions. She told me to take some time write my questions down and then come back and she would answer them for me. By this time it was 4:25 and I still needed to take my last break. So I did, I took my break to calm down and to fully get a grip on what just happened. So when I came back I sat down and started to write out my questions. Not even 5 minutes later she called me back into her office and told me that I needed to sign the performance plan before I left at 5. WTF? If I didn't sign the document it would go in my file as refusing to sign the document. Really? You take me by complete surprise, tell me I am now on a plan to better my performance, and then tell me I have to sign it, without getting my questions answered, and without completely understanding why this is even happening in the first place. This is not fair.

Needless to say I didn't sign the document. I wrote on there that I am not refusing to sign the document, but was requesting more time to review the document and have my questions answered before I signed stating that I understood the document. At this point I still don't understand the document. So I made a formal complaint with our corporate HR (ethics point) because I truly believe it was unethical to give me  a performance plan with no notice, and not explain why I am now on a performance plan. She wouldn't explain why I was being put on a performance plan, or why she thought that I was unable to perform my job good enough. She just told me that is was outlined in the document. Really? This is completely unethical.

So now you can see why I am a little stressed out right? Am I in the wrong here? I just don't get it. I don't understand how you became a manager, and do this to people... This also happened to another manager. They put her on a performance review and fired her a month later... I have a feeling this is going to happen to me, and I don't know how to stop it. I truly don't know what to do. The are not explaining anything to me, and when I tell them I need more time to review what is happening they tell me that it is a refusal to sign the document. Which I am sure doesn't look good in my file. Right? Refusing to sign something probably looks really bad, and I am sure now that I didn't sign it they can fire me for that... That is why I made a complaint with corporate. They  cant out of the blue give me a performance plan, give me 15 minutes to review the document, not answer any of my questions and expect me to just go along with it and sign it. That's wrong right? I mean I totally feel like I am being ganged up on, but I don't know. Maybe they can do that, maybe it is totally legal to do that. I don't know.

Anyways, I don't know what is going to happen. I feel like I am going to go into work today and loose my job. It is not a good feeling.

I know and trust that God has a plan, but man at this point I have no idea what it is or where this is going...  

Happy New Year, 2013!

Reflecting on 2012 has been amazing, and looking forward to 2013 is even more exciting. 

In 2012 I grew as a person.

I grew in my faith with God. 

Summer of 2011 I would cry on the way to work, and beg God to do something different in my life. It wasn't because I hated where I worked, but because it wasn't what I wanted to be doing. 

God truly answered my prayers! After countless interviews with some of what I thought would be the best places to work, I still had no new job. 

I didn't see what God was doing in the moment, but knew and trusted that God had a bigger plan for me. 

I am so thankful that I kept my faith strong in God, and knew that He had a plan.

In January 2012 God answered!

I don't know how or why but God gave me an amazing job at Neiman Marcus! I never thought I could work at such a prestigious place but I do! It took a few weeks to settle in, and once it did, wow. I work at Neiman Marcus, and have business cards! Whoohoo!

God had this planned way before I could ever even imagine it. 

This taught me so many things about my self, my faith, and the God I serve. 

He knew that going through countless interviews would only prepare me for what was to come. 

I kept faith, blind faith in Gods plan, and in the end it payed off more then I could ever imagine. 

This year in 2013 I hope to go through the same process with men. Lol yes I said Men!

I want this year to be the year I meet my husband. I know that may sound crazy, but I have faith in God. I have faith that God will provide an amazing husband, just like He provided an amazing job. 

I know there are going to be challenges, just like the summer of 2011.

I know I will have to rely only on God. 

I know and trust that He has a bigger plan for me. 

A husband that I cant even imagine yet. But he's out there and I know and trust that God will bring us together. 

So this year is about focusing on God. Keeping my eyes on Him, knowing that He has a much bigger plan for me. One that I cant even imagine yet. 

I cant wait to go through this journey that God has for me. 

Happy New Year, 2013!

Order in makeup application

I get a lot of questions, if there’s a specific order in makeup application and I always reply that there are no rules or laws in artistry, but after many years of doing makeup, I’ve learned there is a sequence that will make it easier for you. And that sequence changes from day to night as the looks are very different. Makeup is a balancing act and you should determine which features you want to play up and always do them first and step back often between steps to evaluate and walk the line of defining and accentuating vs. looking too “done.”

Additionally, I’ve listed which type of product (cream vs. powder for example) I prefer to use in the daytime vs. the nighttime because the lighting during day hours (sunlight outside or horrific artificial lighting in offices + classrooms) is less forgiving and makeup shouldn’t be “in your face” noticeable. While nighttime lighting is moodier and more forgiving, giving you the opportunity to be more dramatic with your makeup. Ok, here we go:

DAYTIME ORDER

1. Tinted Moisturizer or BB Cream Apply this first with a dampened sponge for more natural coverage.
2. Cream Blush Using your fingertips, dab the cream onto the apples of the cheek for a sweet flush that looks like your blushing. You do this before your eye makeup because often when you see how pretty a little blush makes you feel, you’ll realize you don’t need a lot of eye makeup or lip color.
3. Tinted Lip Balm There used to only be a couple brands that had a couple shades of tinted lip balm. Now some brands have 30 shades in different finishes! They are so perfect for daytime because they add little or a lot of sheer color that looks effortless. You do this step before doing the eyes as well because if you choose a bright color, you might also determine that you don’t need a lot of eye makeup.
4. Brow Pencil This step isn’t necessary for those of you blessed with perfectly arched, full brows; but for the rest of us, a little definition goes a long way.
5. Cream Shadow With your finger, apply a taupe, pearl or light gold cream shadow as a single wash of color on your lid and crease for an approachable look.
6. Kohl Eyeliner This step isn’t necessary unless you feel your eyes look more awake or less rounded with a quick sweep of liner. Just make sure to really hide it in between your lashes then smudge it with a q-tip.
7. Soft Mascara There’s nothing attractive about stiff or clumpy lashes in the middle of the day. Finish the look with a soft and “pet-able” mascara. If you don’t have one, just make sure to first press the wand into a tissue to get rid of excess product.

NIGHTTIME ORDER

1. Brow Powder I start with this step because it really frames the eye and because using a powder can be more dramatic, it helps you determine how much eye shadow you need.
2. Eye Shadow Nighttime is the best time for a smoky look, and eye shadow powder is more blendable than cream shadow, the key to pulling off a smoky eye. Do this step next because powder can be messy and you don’t want it dropping and smearing in your foundation.
3. Longwear Eyeliner Choose a longwear or liquid liner at night to really define your eyes and make it last.
4. Volumizing Mascara Build those lashes up, but comb through any clumps that will ruin the look. Now is the best time to sweep away any eye shadow or mascara droppings that might have fallen below your eyes with a baby wipe.
5. Foundation + Concealer Nighttime is the only time that you can get away with a fuller coverage foundation, so if you love the look of a flawless complexion, go for it. Just make sure to color match exactly and include your neck.
6. Powder Set the foundation with a loose or pressed powder to mattify and perfect the look. This will also make the bronzer and blush go on more evenly.
7. Bronzing Powder Use it to contour your cheekbones, temple, along the hairline, your nose and jawline. A Kabuki-style blush will make it better for blending.
8. Powder Blush Use it to add a touch of color to the cheeks. You apply this before lipstick because again, if you have a little color in your cheeks, you can see how nude or light you can get away with on your lips.
9. Lipstick Because you’ve smoked out and played up your eyes, step back and determine how much color you need on your lips.

** The only exception to the nighttime order is if you want to rock a red or bright lip, then you should apply lipstick as Step 1, so you can balance everything else around it.