In the last 6 months....

... a few things have changed, and I have realized some things. The biggest change seemed huge and nonsequitur with my life at the time, but after reading over the posts on this blog, I guess I should have seen it coming:

I became a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant.

Yes, I did that just about 6 months ago. And what a half year it has been! I'm still in love with the product, and I'm even more in love with the company. I'm learning how to set and achieve goals, the biggest of which has been earning my RED JACKET! I earned it in December with the addition of my third team member. It was an exciting month! And thanks to Mary Kay I really do feel like I'm becoming a new person.

Leif doesn't have to photoshop out my wrinkles any more. Hallelujah! I'm learning that it's not about me, and this business isn't about selling product. It's about serving women. It's the greatest opportunity I could have been given, I think. I am learning to love others and lift them up. And I am continuing to learn how to look and be my best!

But because I am now a consultant, I think the blog needs to be less about Mary Kay (no matter how much I love it!) and more about other things. And if I can't find other things to write about? Well, I guess it will just quiet into oblivion. And that's okay, because we all know that I have enough other blogs to keep me busy. =D

Now... onto something I've learned about myself in the last 6 months...

I LOVE SHOES!

Perhaps not a surprise to some, given my last blog post, but it's true! My latest acquisitions?




Looks like I've got a thing for peep-toe wedges these days! I don't know if it's sad, but it's true! I love them! Not quite as on sale as the last ones I bought (see the post below), but it was BOGO, so I guess that counts for something. And I DID need some black slip on shoes that were cute! =D I'd say these qualify. And they're cute, too!

My last realization?

I LOVE BAGS!

I'm too lazy to switch out handbags very often, but I learned that I love them. Who knew? Right now I've got a bright red patent leather bag I earned through MK and I absolutely love it. I don't even care that it's huge and bright and loud. It makes me smile like you wouldn't believe, and that's reason enough for me to carry it!

So there you have it... my last 6 months in a nutshell. At least when it comes to fashion and skin care. ;D

Three Tricks...

Sometimes you find a way to use a product other than the method directed on the packaging. The tricks I use I learned from Cheryl, and they are marvelous! They have really made a difference for me, so I thought I'd share... Here are my 3 tricks:

1. Mary Kay Oil Free Hydrating Gel - Mix a little of this with your liquid foundation and it will go on silky smooth and vanish into your skin! It's amazing. I have actually been doing this in the morning instead of just using my moisturizer, and it is wonderful!

2. Mary Kay Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover - Not only is this stuff GREAT for removing your eyeshadow, liner, and mascara, but it works great on lipstick, too! You know... when you put on a lipstick and decide it's too dark or too red or too... whatever... for your event, but then you can't get it off and it's stained your lips? This stuff takes it off!

3. Mary Kay Emollient Night Cream - This is in the Satin Hands set, but it is amazing for cracked and dry LIPS! My lips are HORRIBLE every winter. They crack, they peel, they bleed... it's awful! But this year I learned I could put the Emollient Night Cream on my lips and they'd get better really fast! It's wonderful and I use it at the first sign of dry lips every time now... I haven't had cracked lips for months because of it!

So there you have it.... 3 tricks to get the most out of your product. Enjoy!

Skin Care Regimen

I have not always been good about taking care of my skin. In fact, sometimes I've been downright lousy about it. But about 6 months ago my husband emailed me this picture:


and asked if I noticed anything different about it. Then he said he photoshopped out my wrinkles. Here's the original:


Now, I am not even 30 years old yet, so I don't particularly appreciate having my wrinkles pointed out, or photoshopped. So I told Leif if he was going to photoshop my wrinkles I was going to pay to do something about them. Thus began my renewed relationship with Mary Kay.

Now, I grew up in Texas, so I have been using Mary Kay off and on for the last 15 years or so. I used it in high school, then stopped in college because it was too time consuming, with the 5 steps and all. Then, when they went to the 2 step system, I started using it again. When we moved here I was able to get my MK from a friend who was a personal use consultant, since I didn't have a consultant of my own. After she quit working at the school I taught at I didn't see her very much, so I just sort of stopped using MK after I ran out. Around this time I also became ultra conscious about my environmental impact, and started using "natural" products, including Burt's Bees skin care and cosmetics. That's what I was using at the time of the photoshop fiasco.

So in February I had a Mary Kay party with Cheryl Sheedy and I purchased some basic skin care products, along with some anti-aging products, which were new to me. Since then I've added a couple other products to my regimen as well. Here is what I'm currently doing...

Morning:
Timewise 3-in-1 Cleansing Gel
Microdermabrasion Refine (Wednesdays and Saturdays)
Microdermabrasion Renew (Wednesdays and Saturdays)
Even Complexion Essence
Timewise Age-Fighting Moisturizer or Oil Free Hydrating Gel
Firming Eye Cream

Evening:
Facial Cleansing Cloths (1/8th of a sheet)
Even Complexion Essence (on one spot only)
Timewise Age-Fighting Moisturizer
Firming Eye Cream

And while it seems like a lot of steps, it's really not that much. It goes quickly, and the first two steps in the morning (on days that I do microdermabrasion) I do in the shower, so they are especially easy. I'm not completely sold on the Even Complexion Essence yet, so we'll see if I want to continue that once I'm done with this. And the firming eye cream was a gift, so I'm hoping it lasts a long time, but we'll see how big a difference it makes when it runs out, I guess! My eye wrinkles were especially worrysome, so I will probably continue to use that. The microdermabrasion is completely AWESOME, so that step will definitely stay on the list twice a week! In general, though I forget to do my regimen at night sometimes, I'm very happy with this set up and the results I'm seeing. I think my skin looks younger, and it definitely feels younger. We'll see where I am in another 6 months, but this is my skin care regimen right now, just about every day.

Freckles

I have always had freckles. I've never liked them, but I've gotten used to them. They started to fade (or at least not be so noticeable!) at one point in my life, but I got sunburned REALLY badly in college and they came back with a vengeance. In addition to being all over my face, they cover my shoulders as well. Those I really don't like.

So in trying to complete my last Mary Kay party order, I added Even Complexion Essence to my list. I started using it on Saturday, June 28 and we'll see if it really does help even out my freckles. I would be very excited if it did. I have one spot on my face in particular that I'd like evened out, and just to test the product I'm putting it on one shoulder (the more freckly of the two) and not on the other. We'll see if I see a difference and how long it takes. Sarah Baker says it's been working for her. I'm hopeful, but not so sure. Give it a few weeks and I'll let you know.