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30 weeks down, 10 weeks to go...

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Weekends are made for a lot of things: sleeping in (anything past 4:30 am is success in my eyes), cuddling on the couch watching movies, brunch, impromptu road trips, and bitching about the horrors that Monday morning will inevitably bring. Weekends are not, however, made for heavy makeup.If I can get away with staying in all weekend and not wearing any makeup, I'm fine with that. If I absolutely must leave the house for any reason (and its not anything formal, like a wedding) I use as light a hand as possible when it comes to makeup. 

Skin79 BB Cream  

This stuff is amazing. I am somewhat of a BB cream fanatic, and I am pretty bummed that the "bb creams" introduced to the US market recently are such flops. If you can buy it at Walmart, it's not a real bb cream. Real bb creams come in 3 shades (if you're lucky) and take the place of makeup, concealer and skincare products. Even though it has sunscreen in it, I still put on my SPF lotion underneath. I live in the desert after all. The mass produced bb creams that are so trendy right now are really more like tinted moisturizers. I heard MAC makes a great one, but that you're supposed to put it under your foundation. Um, no. As much as I love MAC, just no. If it's a real bb cream, it does not need to go under makeup. If it needs to go under makeup, it's a primer, not a bb cream. End rant. Anyway, Skin79 is a legit Korean bb cream that is basically one if my Holy Grail products. Its super simple, less than $20 and lasts forever since it usually only takes a pea sized dab to cover your whole face. This particular one comes in only one shade, and it needs to oxidize on your face for about 10 minutes for the color to adjust. Missha makes a fantastic bb cream that comes in a slightly wider variety of shades, but it tends to be a little more moisturizing than Skin79, and I don't personally need that. If I'm going to be out all day, I dust my MAC setting powder on top of this. 

Tarte Cheek Stain in Blissful

The perfect coral-y shade that could pass for a natural looking flush. It complements basically any skin tone and doesn't pull too orange. I try to avoid powdery products as much as possible in the warmer months since it tends to make me look overly "done" and doesn't last very long in heat and humidity anyway. 

Urban Decay eyeshadow in Chase

This shade is so pretty. Its shimmery and neutral enough to not be overpowering, but its so damn gorgeous. Urban Decay is the master of eye products. I use this over their original Primer Potion and smudge it underneath my lower lashes. I skip liner entirely on the weekends. 

Victoria's Secret Pressed Mineral Bronzing Powder

I may or may not use a dusting of this. Its sheer and sparkly and very buildable, so it doesn't look like too much, and it really complements the Tarte cheek stain. If I'm going out to brunch or on a weekend evening, I'll typically use it. I use Hoola by Benefit during the workweek, but that one is entirely matte and I use it mainly for contouring, so I avoid it completely with more laid back looks. 

Clinique Chubby Stick in Mega Melon

I really dig coral shades, if you couldn't tell. I love glossy pencils also, so this is perfect. As much as I love lipsticks and glosses, I'm pretty flaky and inconsistent when it comes to re-application. I usually carry about 6 color lip products with me at all times, which is crazy because I end up using my Softlips balm more than anything. That's probably why I'm more likely to use these gloss pencils. They feel really amazing, slick without being goopy, and they have high shine and great color payoff. I've also tried the stain pencils by Revlon, which are good but tend to pull a little drier on my lips than these. 

BadGal Lash by Benefit

I'm currently in the market for mascara recommendations. BadGal is my old reliable. I tried They're Real by Benefit and just couldn't stay on board the love bus. I don't like it. BadGal is perfectly serviceable and its decent, but I really want something that is remarkable. 

I know when its typed out like this, this actually seems like a lot of makeup for an "easy" look, but it seriously takes less than 5 minutes to do. Paired with a sockbun and its the most low maintenance made up look I can accomplish on a weekend. I have other, more important things to do, after all. Like watch my Dateline NBC recordings on the DVR.

10 years down, forever to go

Jesse and I celebrated our anniversary this past weekend. April 21st marked our 7th wedding anniversary and our 10th anniversary of being together. It seems like its flown by so fast. We were basically kids when we first met, not even allowed to (legally) drink. I feel so blessed that I've been able to share so many milestones in my life with him, and we've weathered our fair share of ups and downs.

It seemed fitting that in honor of the day, we go back to the scene of one of our first dates, Seaport Village, San Diego, a gorgeous little tourist trap overlooking the Bay. We've come here so often over the past 10 years that its become a part of our own personal history. We spent a fairly mellow day just walking along the boardwalk, eating, watching the ships in the harbor and reminiscing.

The Pier House Cafe

Seaport Village has changed a lot over the past 10 years (or the past 30, really, since I've been coming here since I was a kid) but that makes it even more perfect. It evolves with time, just like our relationship has, and despite all the changes and improvements, its essence and its magic stays the same.  There is nothing more perfect than being in your favorite place with your favorite person. 

Monument next to the USS Midway Museum

 

Its been a pretty sweet life these past 10 years. I can't wait to see what the next 10 have in store for us. 

Out with the old

I recently had to say a very sad goodbye to what I consider a reliable old friend. It was one of those things. We used to be a perfect fit, you know, but life changes sometimes, and you outgrow one another. So with a heavy heart I bid goodbye to our beloved Scion TC. She was a good little car, but she just couldn't give me what I needed anymore.

So, like so many women before me, I looked elsewhere. I needed something with more power, something better able to meet my growing demands. Something, well, bigger. Enter the Silverado.

Call me fickle. As soon as the papers were signed and she was no longer part of my life, I missed the Scion. I missed what she represented in my life. Also, I missed her super low payments and excellent gas mileage. I know I'll adjust to the new truck, and there's plenty of room for a car seat but ugh. I'm not a fan yet.

Temptations

I'm on Day 12 of "no impulse buy April" which basically means that I'll only buy something for myself if I absolutely need it or there is a compelling reason why I should have it right away. This policy does not include food items or subscription services, like my monthly Glam Bag, which hello? Would count as a necessity anyway. I've done remarkably well so far, I haven't slipped up once. 

With that being said, I am doing some serious online window shopping. What's been making me drool lately?

The Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner Vault

40 full sized Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencils. These pencils are basically my Holy Grail of eye products. They never smudge or fade, not even on my waterline. There's an amazing assortment of colors and finishes, and sometimes I don't even bother with eyeshadow, I just prime my lids (with UD primer, of course) and use one of these pretty pencils. Some of the finishes are sparkly, some are matte, but every single one of them is a creamy, dreamy pencil dream. This set is $295. Not what I'd go out and spend on a whim anyway, but its actually an amazing deal because these pencils retail at $19 plus tax each. Add it up and you're getting a value of around $800. Where's my fairy godmother when I need her? 

Grove Court Floral Maise Bag by Kate Spade

Does Kate ever get it wrong? I freaking love this bag. Its cute and perfect for Spring. Not so perfect? The $398 price tag. I shouldn't even be looking at Kate Spade anything right now. Granted, there are baby bags available and a diaper bag falls under the "necessity" category right now, but only if its in the range of say, $20-$40. This bag? Ridiculously cute and ridiculously out of my league. 

Weighing In

I feel for Kim Kardashian right now. I can't imagine how awful it would be to be under constant media scrutiny for my every fashion misstep or for gaining "too much" weight while pregnant. I can barely make it through a work day now without getting the urge to scratch someone's eyes out. What is it about being pregnant that opens the floodgates for people to act like jackasses? I don't even necessarily mind the random tummy gropes as much as I thought I would. Its the constant criticism and unsolicited advice that's driving me up the wall.

Caffeine, alcohol, seafood, pork, chicken, red meat, eggs, sugar, fruits, milk. These are all things that I've been told I need to give up. By my doctor? No, by the people I work with. All with the best of intentions, of course. Everyone has a horror story to share: someone's daughter drank too much milk while pregnant and got kidney stones. Chicken and eggs carry salmonella.Caffeine just makes me a bad person, apparently. When did everyone become an expert??

I love that I have so many mommy friends. I'm going through something that's brand new for me, and I know I'll be asking advice on tons of things. But welcome advice is one thing, and just because this is new to me does not mean that I'm not educated or that I lack basic brain function. I went out to breakfast not too long ago with a friend, and the topic of my pregnancy came up. I mentioned something the doctor told me, and my friend's reply? "And you actually listen to your doctor? Aren't you cute?" Um yeah. I'm fucking adorable for wanting a healthy pregnancy.

Then there's the grand epidural debate. According to one coworker if I get one I'm a "weenie" and I would never be a "real" mother because I didn't go through the whole experience naturally. On the other side of the fence, another coworker says that NOT having an epidural causes too much stress to the baby and what kind of a person would do that to their baby? You can't win either way. 

Maybe its my hormones, but people are becoming less and less tolerable the more pregnant I get. 

THANK GOD FOR TACO BELL. 

March Highlights

I am terrible at taking pictures. Literally, my skills are limited to pointing and clicking with my cell phone. So while the photo quality may not be the greatest, here are some things that kept me smiling this month: 

                                                       

Giving in to pregnancy cravings. Mmmm, In N Out. 

Spring Colored Manicures (I'll clean it up BEFORE pictures next time) 

My sister bringing my adorable nephew Bryce over to visit. This face!! 

Good company when my husband is out of town for work. 

Seeing my baby girl's face for the first time. 

Grabbing breakfast with a friend mid-week; great stress reliever! 

All in all, March was a pretty fantastic month for me. I can't wait to see what April has in store!