Ipsy January 2015

It’s a new year and a chance for a fresh start. That’s this month’s theme at Ipsy. Simple everyday must haves for the new year.

The bag itself is pretty nice. I’m not sure what the material is, but it seems firm and durable. Once side is blue, the other side is white. I can see the white side getting easily dirty.

Hikari Cosmetics Mechanical Eye Liner in Storm – It’s an okay eyeliner. I have no need for a grey colored liner, but you never know. The formula isn’t that creamy. The tip is pretty sharp so I found myself being able to do a wing liner without the help of an angled brush! Or maybe i’m just getting good at applying eyeliner. Mechanical eyeliners are nice in that you just twist up to get more product rather than having to sharpen a pencil.

La Fresh Eco-Beauty Be Good. Good Day. Day Moisturizer – When I look at the packaging, I cant help but think it’s lotion in a gogurt squeeze bottle. Luckily this is just the sample packaging. Their website shows the full size version is in a traditional cylinder container. I was a bit nervous with this product. Lotions tend to be greasy and with my oily/combo skin, which is why I use the dramatically moisturizing gel from Clinique. This is a really nice moisturizer that does the job. I’ve been using it every day since I got it and so far i’m impressed with the results.

(MALIN+GOETZ) Mojito Lip Balm – It is what it is, a lip balm. It’s actually nice. Some lip balms tend to dry out my lips, but this one doesn’t. I’ve only used it a couple of times, and so far it’s not bad. It’s not spectacular either.

Manna Kadar Cosmetics Sheer Glo – It’s some kind of sheer cream. You can use it as a highlighter on your cheeks or put it all over for a nice glow. I don’t have an interest to glow. I used it a couple of times but it doesn’t work for me.

Pacifica Natural Mineral Coconut Eye Shadow – I got a Pacifica duo eyeshadow a few months ago and liked it. So they sent me another one. This time it’s a single eyeshadow in a shimmering brown color. I had a hard time taking it out of the packaging. I thought the box was a bit to small for it. When I finally got it out, I found out they glued it to the box. There was sticky residue on the back of the eyeshadow container. It’s a nice color, but you really need to pack it on to see the payoff.

Overall it’s a good bag. Nothing horrible, but nothing amazing either.

Busy busy bee

2015 has been super busy for me. Right after the holidays I went back to work.

It’s a new job, with new people, in a new and totally different environment. I really do have culture shock. I went from a staff of 20 to a staff of several thousand. I’m on week two and still adjusting, but it’s okay. Ive been told it’s normal. In a way, this job is different from my last and that’s a good thing. Everyone I’ve met has been so friendly and helpful. So far I’m loving it. The first day of work really did feel like the first day of school. Something I hadn’t experienced in a very long time. I take the shuttle to work (thank god!) and carry my belongings in a backpack. Someone on the shuttle going home today joked, “School’s out!” Leaving a conference room after a meeting kinda feels like leaving a classroom. At the end of the day, I am happy and thankful for this opportunity. I can’t wait to see where this adventure takes me.

Because of this new chapter in my life, I haven’t done much cooking lately. Not good. Hubby’s getting back on the low carb diet. Me not so much. Thanks to the holidays, all the weight we lost in the last 4 months, we gained about half of it back. We need to fix that but it’s hard when you now have access to free food. Not to mention we’re still going through all the holiday candy we got in our stockings. I love #keroscookingadventures, and I really want to continue that. Just need to get back in the rhythm of things.

Got my January Ipsy bag this week. I’m hoping to get pics and review up this weekend.

That’s all for now. Until next time.

Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015!

2013 was a pretty crappy year for me, so I was hoping 2014 would be much better… and it was!

In 2014

– We bought our first home. It’s a small 2 bedroom condo, but it works for us. We frequented The Home Depot almost every weekend to make our house a home.

– Traveled. Been to LA 3 times and traveled to Maui over the summer.

– Lilo continues to be Lilo. Cute, fluffy and well behaved. She did have to have eye surgery to remove more ingrown hairs, but other than that she’s been okay

– Both hubby and I went through job changes. All for the better.

– My stress level has gone down. I let go of the things that were causing me bad stress and it feels good

– We did hit some road blocks this year, but it only made us stronger and more motivated to be better.

In 2015

I’m really excited to see what 2015 has in store for me. I start a new job on the 5th. I’m not gonna say where but I will be in a much better place personally, professionally and financially for once. Hubby continues to succeed in his new job.

I’m also hoping we can go on another major trip. This time to England and France! Hubby and I agreed to go on one more big trip before we even think about having kids. I would like to go to Europe by the end of 2015.

Kero’s cooking adventures will continue! I love trying new recipes out! We’re also going to go back on to our low carb diet as soon as all the holiday food is gone from this house.

That’s it for now! Cheers! Have a safe and fun New Years Eve!

K