For almost 2 months of waiting, this past weekend we’ve finally closed on the house and it’s now OURS!!! This is one of the biggest things that has ever happened to me and I’m so excited! A place to call my own, do whatever I want, however I want, without anyone telling me what to do. I already know how to decorate and furnish my home, it’s gonna be gorgeous! I won’t be moving in just yet though. Shane will be fixing up the place while I stay in NY so the kids can finish school and enjoy their vacay in Indonesia. So hopefully things will be done by the end of August.

Even though it felt like forever, my kids were very well behaved!

Shane hard at work signing the final papers

I FINALLY got the keys to our house

 
Home Sweet Home

Not too long ago, I received the occasional newsletter from Coastal Scents announcing their sales and new products and noticed the African Black Soap they were selling online. It looked kinda odd, but as I was reading the description, it’s got so many usage, from relieving acne, preventing itchiness and rashes, pore cleansing, washing hair and so much more. What really got me was this one long review on the product. So I ordered one, not from Coastal Scents, but from a seller on eBay. I ordered 1/2 a pound because I didn’t want to commit to buying anything bigger unless I knew it would work for me.

What is it exactly? The one I got is 100% natural. It contains no dyes, frangrance or preservatives and it came in a plastic tub for 1/2 pound. It can be packaged in a plastic bag depending on how much and where you buy it from. The feeling is somewhat similar to Play-Doh so it’s soft but firm enough to mold however you want.  You can cut it up to size and use little portions at a time. It has a light smell to it, like natural soap. And it lathers very well! To keep it last longer, I keep them in a wooden soap dish to keep it away from a pool of water. Otherwise it would melt and get slimy. You can find them at etsy.com.

Click here for full details

I know it looks odd but this is an awsome gift from mother nature!

On the first day I washed my face with this soap, my skin felt soft and tight, and I would feel this way throughout the day. What amazed me the most was how my skin wasn’t as oily as it would in the evening. And it seems like it helped smooth the appearance of my skin so my large pores look less noticable. Since then, I haven’t gotten any occasional breakouts, even during my period. I’ve also used this in the shower and my entire skin felt squeaky clean. I haven’t used this on my hair yet so I can’t comment on that. 1/2 a pound lasted me 3 weeks and I recently placed another order for 3 lbs. from another eBayer to stock up. I couldn’t get enough of this stuff. I suggest you give this a try and tell me what you think.

EDIT 2009.05.26: Okay, so this past weekend, it was mad hot, so I wore my sandals, which kinda ripped my skin off on one foot around the strap area. I took a shower using this soap that night and it felt like I had put rubbing alcohol. OUCH!!!! Also I recently shaved my armpits and it was stinging a bit. Not sure if it was the soap I recently bought from another eBayer, but I never had this problem from the first merchant. So if you want to try, I suggest you buy it from Coastal Scents or the eBay merchant garybuilt2last.

I got some stuff in the mail this past week and hid it from my boyfriend who was playing Gears of War 2 at the time, so I opened them in the bathroom I recieved my Crown brushes and was disappointed that 3 of the 10 that I ordered were out of stock. The ones that are missing were some eyeshadow brushes I wanted to use for the palettes I got recently. I ordered them on a Wednesday and got it the following Monday. It’s sort of an odd e-store they have on their website, you add your items and the minimum is $25, when you checkout, your order is not finalize until they send you an email and you provide them with your credit card information. I didn’t want to wait so I called them, gave them my order number and my credit card info. I just wish they could’ve told me that some of my brushes were out of stock, so I could order something else from a different line. But the guy on the phone was super friendly and I would definitely order from them again. I’m happy with what I got and it even came with a catalog! Did you know that they are suppliers for Coastal Scents? Just thought you wanna know

From top to bottom: C106 Pointed Dome, C104 Angled Brush, C155 Brow/Lash Groomer
C213 Chisel Mini Smudger, C112 Stiff Brow

I ordered the Studio Professional line cuz I personally like the look of it. The blush brushes, in general, didn’t shed and smell as much as I thought it would, even after washing them. It did got black but i washed it serveral times until the water ran clear. They feel kinda prickly but for a few seconds of applying blush, it shouldn’t matter as long as it’s doing its job. I LOVE the Angled brush! I bought this to use with my contour palette and it’s smaller and not as fluffy compared to my Essence of Beauty Control Powder Brush. It’s the perfect size for the job. The Pointed Dome brush is great for the apples!

The Stiff Brow brush I use with my Ardell Brow Defining Powder cuz I lost the brush that it came with. It’s an ok brush. It picks up alot of product on the brush that if I’m not too careful, I could end up looking like Groucho Marx! So I use the brush on the Brow/Lash Groomer to blend so that it doesn’t look too solid. And I finish my eyebrow (the outer portion) with Cover Girl’s Brow & Eye Maker in Midnight Brown.

I also recieved my J.Lynne order

Nicely packaged. It looked so nice, I didn’t want to open it!

J.Lynne Gloss FX Natural Lip Glaze in Neutrals, Peaches & Reds Collection
Top: Hilary, Jessica, Cameron, Jodie
Bottom: Penelope, Jennifer, Naomi, Sandra

J.Lynne Gloss FX Natural Lip Glaze in Pinks, Berries & Mauves Collection
Top: Keira, Rachel, Chloe
Bottom: Julianne, Evangeline, Scarlette

I received these as a free gift!
Illuminating Powder Mineral Glow in Lovely
Soft Silk Mineral Blush in Paso Doble

I’m at work right now and I quickly want to say that I received my Coastal Scents order I placed on Wednesday and they so friggin’ gorgeous!!! I’m so excited, I can’t wait to try them!

26 Color Shadow Blush Combo Palette - $21.95

26 Color Shadow Blush Combo Palette
I love how these comes in different sorts of colors from browns, pinks, plums and peaches and they’re are a mix of matte and shimmer finishes.

6 Color Contour & Blush Palette - $19.95

6 Color Contour & Blush Palette
I’ve been wanting to learn how to contour and with the products I have on hand just wasn’t cutting it. After watching xsparkage’s video, I HAD to have this. I was surprised at how big this one was. And I love the colors, you can mix two colors to achieve the look you want, it’s just fabulous!

I also placed an order with CrownBrush.com and ordered some brushes as I need to update my collection, so that should be coming soon. I know I should be saving money for my house, but I got some money from my returns and why not spoil myself with a little something. It’s been a long time since I spent money on anything for myself, but just don’t tell the boyfriend

As I sit here waiting for words from Shane to his realtor to the owners and their realtor to close the deal on the house, I’ve added some home furnishings for my living room to my Kaboodle list.

Living Room by virtualbabe

Ugh!!! Sorry for the lack of updates! Gosh… where do I start? Lemme start from where I left off. So much has happened since my last blog. One of the things I had mentioned back in January was that I’m done with experimenting with hair products. It was costing me so much money and my bathroom cabinet was filled with so many conditioners and hair products. One look and I thought I was insane. All that money I spent on products could’ve went straight to my nest egg. There are a couple of products I still want to try out, but here’s a list of hair products that has worked for me so far:

1. L’Oreal Out of Bed Texturizer - enhances the curls
2. Herbal Essences Totally Twisted Gel - great if you’re looking to do soft curls, great hold
3. Biosilk Rock Hard Gel - a more stronger hold but it doesn’t weigh your hair down
4. Giovanni Direct Leave-In
5. Suave Conditioner in Tropical Coconut is by far my fave for co-washing
6. Pantene Moisture Renewal Conditioner
7. Diva Dryer
8. Denman brush (7-row) I use this in the shower to detangle my hair and also for product distribution

Back in January, I had chopped off 9 inches of my hair!!! I feel so light I felt like I lost a pound off my head… LOL. Of course I went to a salon to touch it up, but I didn’t go to the salon I have been going to for the past 15 years. I needed a new place to go and found one that’s gotten great reviews online. It’s called Spectrym Salon located in Forest Hills, NY. I went with my sister cuz she needed a new look too. They were great and did what we asked for. My sister left the salon feeling good about her hair and so did I. And as for my 9 inch hair, I’ll be donating it to Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths.

I recently got a new bling. I had lost the other half of my earrings during the time I had my hair done. I took it off at one point but I swear I had put both back on. Then I came back from the salon to find that one of my earrings was missing. So I spent the $50 that my dad gave me for my birthday and got me a new pair of earrings from Sparkles Forever.

I LOVE the casting on this. Makes me feel like a princess

Off to another topic… I’ve been taking one of my sons to the doctor and I was told that he’s on the verge of becoming diabetic and that he’s overweight So I have to change his diet a bit, it’s not like I’m feeding him junk food and fatty meals, I think I cook up some healthy meals, but I have to serve him smaller portions, whole wheat everything, only egg whites and I have him exercise with me. I did this for him for 2 weeks from his first doctor visit and lost 1 pound. This is a good chance to encourage the rest of my family to eat healthy. I take their bag of chips and throw them in the cabinet, hide their cookies and other unhealthy snacks, so this way I don’t have the urge to grab a bite, or two, or three. And when I go shopping, I’ll continue to skip the snack aisle and stock up on produce items. I’m still learning about diabetes so if you have any input, I appreciate any comments. I’ll definitely update on him in weeks to come.

Since working full time and an increase on my paycheck, I was able to put more money in my savings. I’ve been wanting to buy a house and now I have enough saved for a down payment. And this morning I got great news from my boyfriend that we were approved for a loan so we could buy a house together! We’ve been eyeing on this one house, it needs a little work on the inside but the exterior looks great! The front yard is nothing but grass so I have the option to add bushes and flowers. Can’t wait to see it. I hope it works out.

I’m gonna try to work on updating my blog. I’ve been working too hard and not enough time for myself. This weekend will be gorgeous, so I might be doing things off the computer. You can catch me micro-blogging at Plurk.com. Why don’t you join and see what I’m up to when I’m not blogging here. Thank you for reading! Have a great weekend!!!

Whoa! I haven’t blogged in like months!!! Anyway, just wanted to say Happy New Year! Not much has happened since my last blog, but here’s a small rundown of what’s been going on… I voted in November and I’m proud to have Barak Obama as our next president… I’ve been added as part of a team full time at my work’s company… and with my raise, I’ve been shopping like there’s no tomorrow! With Victoria’s Secret semi-annual sale and other stores, how can I turn down a sale? I’m done experimenting with hair products trying to get the perfect curls and I’m back to using my flat iron… and I just turned 31 a few days ago :D

I have some things planned for the new year. One of them is to get a haircut. I feel that my hair is ready for a new, updated look. But before I do that, I want to cut 8 inches off and donate it to Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths. I didn’t purposely grow my hair out for the cause, but since my hair is long enough, I figured why not donate it. I’m sure in the end, I’d feel real good that I’ve done something nice!

There are a few other things that I’m planning on doing from my 101 Things in 1001 Days list. I’m not neglecting it, I just haven’t updated it when it needs to be updated. I do need to add more goals to the list. I welcome any suggestions. Quit smoking is my top priority, along with losing a few pounds and saving money for my future.

Thank you for reading and here’s to the new year!!! I hope it brings nothing but good things coming your way! ;)

Ever listened to a song over and over again until you play it out? I’m notorious for doing that Lately, I’ve been listening to 106.7 Lite FM, trying to listen to something different from my rock ‘n roll, heavy metal, emo music just to get through the day. I haven’t been feeling well so Lite FM helps me work without feeling stressed out. One song that I look forward to them playing is Take A Bow by Rhianna. It reminds me of my relationship with my ex-hubby, the shit he put me through all these years, it’s still ain’t over… *sigh*

Anyway, I was searching for Rhianna’s video and I stumbled upon a cover song by two girls who I thought did an amazing job! I find myself playing their video more than the original song. They sound better than Rhianna. And they’re not boring to watch either, like they don’t just sing in front of the camera. You can tell they have fun. When they take turns singing, the other would do goofy gestures and whatnot. They make it very interesting to watch, and not to mention they’re incredibly gorgeous! One girl reminds me of Paula Abdul. I’m surprised they’re not discovered yet, they should have a record deal already, they’re that good!

So here’s my song/video of the moment: