Thursday, September 18, 2014

Ciate Haute House

Another gorgeous Ciate collection!!! The pigment is so intense! I love it! It was really hard to capture this mani...but...oh, well! I used tickle me fancy, for the frill of it, and oil slick. Oil slick isn't party of the haute house collection, but it's sti gorgeous! I love colors that are "shade-shift-y."  


With no flash: 

I guess you can tell that the base color is a green shade better this way. 


 Base coat is tickle me fancy and then I sponged some oil slick and for the frill of it on the nails arbitrarily. I personally love the way it turned out! 



Thanks for reading! 
- Marissa 








Tuesday, July 15, 2014

MoYou London stamping plates

Umm...amazing!!! MoYou london literally has any design you've ever wanted on a nail stamp!!! 
I bought the rock star plates in 06 and 07. I needed the 07 plate because it has Miley on it...and...well, you KNOW I have to be prepared for the Miley concert in Charlotte on August 6th!!! 
Anyway, I saw the rock star plate 06 and noticed Kurt Cobain...so I had to have that! 
Added bonus: Christina Aguilera and the Spice Girls on the 07 plate...basically, this  stamping plate was made for me!!! 

The quality of these plates is incredible! 
They come in these precious little protective sleeves...which makes me breathe easy since I don't have any containers to keep stamping plates "safe." I'm not really in the "stamping scene," but I think it's going to happen thanks to these amazing plates!

They're really sturdy too! So that makes stamping even easier-- you can transfer so evenly...if that makes sense! 

They're made of hard plastic, and it's awesome!!!! 
I love these things! Such great quality! 
This picture quality isn't too fabulous...but you get the idea! Great stamping plates and I will definitely be purchasing more in the future!!

Thanks for reading!
- Marissa 



Monday, June 30, 2014

Strawberry nails

So...Ciate posted a contest requesting your Ciate strawberry mani for mani Monday...well, here's mine! As we all know, Ciate is my favorite!!!!!!! 



The colors are Ciate's palm tree, Boudiour, Christmas tree caviar, enchanted rose, and very colourfoil in shout. I kind of have a problem--I'm completely obsessed with all of Ciate's products...since the theme was Strawberry manicure...and it's a Ciate contest--well, you see my point. 

It was kind of a pain to pick out the gold caviar beads one by one...but I had a vision and I had to complete it!

Totally worth all of that sorting though...but this mess will not be fun to clean up:


And poor, poor Dan...he's so clean and organized...and I'm so crafty and messy. It's a sad life for him. 

I almost made the mani without the foil...but I love it so much better with the foil...it looked pretty terrible without it:


I like the "semi-abstract-ness" of the baby strawberries though...yes, that's a made-up word...but how else would I describe them? 
Like most of my manis, they're not perfect...and I like it that way. 

Thanks for reading, 
- Marissa




Thursday, June 26, 2014

Mermaid nails!

Since my wedding, I'm completely obsessed with everything mermaid...my hair is even colorful...anyway, I joined The Nail Art Guild (@thenailartguild on insta) in their #tnagthesea nailart...and here's what I came up with:


I'm so obsessed with how they turned out!!! 

The fingers are: a mermaid's tail, an ombre, a net with pearls, and sea glass. 

I lovveeee how them so much!!
Colors used are mostly Ciate...duh, it's my favorite! 
Point finger is China Glaze in turned up turquoise.
Middle finger is an ombre using Ciate morning dew and she's eclectic and China Glaze turned up turquoise with Ciate's twinset and pearls as the top coat. By the way, twinset and pearls is such a gorgeous, gorgeous color! I'm sad that I didn't have it before now!!! 
The ring finger is Ciate she's eclectic with risky business over it and then a white striper to make the net design. I bought the pearls on Amazon.
The pinky is Ciate Pepperminty with glitters from the Kiss Ursula nailart kit on top. What I'm telling you is, even my glitter is "sea-themed." Yes, I do have a problem. Hahahaha.

Here's a few more random pictures of these nails! 
Decoration from my wedding hahaha


I love how reflective the pinky finger is!!!


Thanks for reading!
- Marissa 






Bubblegum machine nails

I don't know how these crazy ideas keep popping in my head...but...oh,well. I'm gonna roll with it. 
 


Polishes used: 
Ciate holiday blues, baby doll, pool party, morning dew, and twinset and pearls.
OPI push and shove
Striper brushes in black, white, and red 

Starting from the top arrow: pool party, holiday blues, baby doll, morning dew, push and shove, twinset and pearls, and pool party


I tried to label these individually but my phone was being ridiculous...sooo...



It's basically impossible to capture the face on the quarter! 


Before I actually put it on my nails, I practiced on a nail wheel...If my nails were longer (like this nail wheel) I could have made a bigger bubblegum machine like this one!!!   

I guess that's all there is to say about this! Whoo! Thanks for reading!
- Marissa





Monday, February 10, 2014

GRIT cardio

I think I'm gonna vomit. No, for real. Haha. Why didn't Calli and I manage to do the 6am session? Because we are dumb? Yes.

I've come to the conclusion that I should only come in the morning! 

I'll be honest though...I was excited all day about GRIT...what's happening to me? Haha

 I'm getting stronger...but this never gets easier...you have to do more reps and the coaches are certainly not playing any games. They know what we're capable of and expect nothing less. 

Painful. But worth it.

Lost 3.5 inches on waist and 5 on hips.

Calli and I stayed for body pump...did the squat track with 30lbs on each side of the bar...couldn't get the bar up there...but wasn't that bad when it was on my shoulders...I can def handle it...

We will see what I think about it tomorrow...anyway...goodnight! 

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Saturday GRIT

Thank you, Jesus. Today's workout was Cardio. It's my favorite of the 3. I did a of the regular push-ups with a lot more ease than I ever have. That's a good accomplishment! Whoo! 

Why didn't I take before pictures? Ugh, oh well. My inner thighs are looking better than they have in YEARS. 

I'm signing up for the second session for sure. 

3 instructors means 3 x the yelling. Haha 3 x the encouragement? Haha...sure

I need to start going to every Saturday GRIT no matter what...to increase my results...need to work our even more really...but I'm tired...all of the time...I'm an old lady...haha

I hate the GRIT workouts while they're happening...but not after. Worth every penny and drop of sweat! 

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Knees

Ouch, they hurt. So bad. I guess I went too far with the craziness of Monday. Why did I do that to myself? Haha. 

During this morning's GRIT Plyo my knees hurt the whole time. 

That's all I could think about...but I didn't hate today as much I normally hate this class. Don't get me wrong, it's my least favorite of the 3...but it wasn't as terrible today.

Michele and Kaitlyn really pushed us today. It provably didn't help that there were only 3 of us in class today...so it was easier to torture us each individually...haha...I'm joking...sort of. Haha

They both really pushed me today...and basically "knee" push-ups and such were all banned. They're not a problem in "real life," but GRIT is so exhausting that it's a challenge sometimes...but I'm getting stronger every class. 

My ankle hurt today too...but I'm just sick of it hurting all of the time...I refuse to baby it and do less because of it. 

As I do more workouts, I will re-strengthen my ankle...especially classes like Piloxing...my ankle feels a lot stronger  and doesn't hurt nearly as often...so I better just start making more time for myself and working out. 

Anyway, I guess I'm gonna take a nap before work...  

I'm glad that I went this morning though because I almost convinced myself to not go. 


I worked for 10 hours today and didn't go to body combat...which makes me sad...but my left knee and ankle hurt like hell and it's not worth actually injuring myself...plus, there's plenty to do at work  right now! Haha

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

2.5 hr workout night

I was too lazy to get out of bed at 6am to go to my actual GRIT session so I went to the 615 pm session instead...well, that meant Piloxing at 515, GRIT at 615, and Body Pump at 715. Basically, I'm insane. 

I'm sore today and paying for my crazy workout night...but that's ok...that's what I'm paying for, right? Yup. It sure is. 

Work 11-7 today then I guess I'm doing nails and wedding stuff and makeup stuff tonight. You know, emergency business. Ha. 

Saturday, February 1, 2014

CX Worx

Well, that was painful. In a good way. It hurt.,.but it's funny because it's exactly what I asked for...a class to work on my core...here ya go! Painful.

The resistance bands are no joke...we used the 2nd level bands...perhaps that was a bad idea?

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Carousel nails!






Whooo!!!

Ok, so...need to do like 40000 wedding things. I finally emailed Pearls and Swine back with details on what I want my fascinator and the bridesmaids hair clips to look like too. 

I need to email the cake topper company too and finally place that order!!!! 

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

GRIT, Body Flow, & Shakeology

Our 6am GRIT session was cancelled this morning because of and this terrible weather. 

Calli and I love pain...so we decided to go GRIT Plyo tonight in addition to tomorrow morning's re-scheduled GRIT. And then there's Friday's GRIT. That's 3 days in a row in case you didn't keep track of that. 

We love torture. Haha. I say that because I think I finally decided this is my least favorite of the GRIT sessions. 

It never gets easier, man. Never. 

But there are body and weight changes, so that's the point. 

When I was home last weekend and trying on my wedding dress...my aunt Mary remarked, "You have no cellulite!" I laughed...but it is a lot better than it was before Brickhouse. I wish I took more "befores." But when you hate yourself that much, it's too hard. 

I'm so glad that's all over though. It's only going to get better from here! 

After GRIT, Calli and I stayed for the unveiling of Body Flow. 

The first 5 minutes I couldn't help but keep thinking, "ugh. I hate this." But by the end of the class, I loved it. It's definitely a class that I am going to add to my regular workout schedule.

It was relaxing and I'm sure it will help my body be less tense and more flexible.

Guess I should head to bed...6am GRIT! 




Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Oh, man.

Whoo! GRIT got me last night. I did Piloxing before GRIT last night and that was killer. I was going to do Body Pump after that been then I started talking to another member and missed half of the class so I decided not to take the other half. Haha. 

Because of work and going home last weekend, I only got to do GRIT once last week and I'm sure my body will pay for it this week! But that's ok. That's what I'm here for, right? 


Sunday, January 26, 2014

Home

Leaving Virginia Beach right now...and I have to say...it's hard not to cry right now. Holding back tears. So difficult. I love Dan and he wants to stay in WV...but I miss my family so bad. 


Friday, January 24, 2014

Anniversary!

Yesterday was mine and Dan's 3 yr Anny


We both had to work...so we didn't see each other!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Dumb mistakes/ zpalette obsession

To further my hatred for snow, I couldn't drive myself to work...again. Because of this I didn't need my keys...well, I left all of my keys at home...that means I'm stuck in the middle of the mall sitting here  waiting for another manager to get here. So I'm pretty pissed off right now. 

And, yes, I realize that I am the one who left the keys...not "the snow," but I'm still pissed because I would have had my car and my keys if there was no snow. 

Whatever. 

I just have so much shit to do today to prepare for this inventory. So mad that I'm stuck outside of the store right now!!!! 

GRIT was cancelled today due to weather. Actually, all of Brickhouse's classes were so I don't even have that to look forward to tonight! Wah! 

Basically, this is a whiny post. 

At least last night I go to depot a ton of eyeshadows/ blushes:

I have more to do...and I love doing it...but "alcoholing" the glue off of the back of each piece takes forever! 

Since I won't be able to drive to the store tonight, I guess that's on my agenda for the night. More depotting. 

I wish I wasn't such an anal bitch about it...because it really stresses me out to have different shapes of eyeshadows/blushes in the same zpalette. I like for it to be uniform. 

This one makes my heart happy because it's all the same thing! They're all LancĂ´me eyeshadows from years of GWPs. This was one of my first zpalettes...but I'm sure that's obvious by looking at the condition of its lid. 

Another happy zpalette! It's filled with all LancĂ´me eyeshadows except the four farthest to the right...those are MAC.

I think it just bothers me if I feel like I'm wasting space in a zpalette! :( 

I'm sure I will rearrange this zpalette and the peacock one eventually...might even be tonight! 

Blushes and bronzes! 

This one is Halloween makeup, so it doesn't bother me as much as the others. It's not used very often. 

This one's comprised of pressed pigments and miscellaneous shadows. 

The palettes I really worked on last night:

Mostly LancĂ´me eyeshadows...I think you may be beginning to understand my addiction...

All Lancome eyeshadows...they're from quads...I'm telling you...I have problems...

I rearranged this one almost in its entirety. 
It's LancĂ´me, MAC, BH cosmetics, and Pop beauty eyeshadows. 

This one's my newest zpalette. It's a work in progress and stresses me out by being so many different things! I added the mirror from a limited edition quad because I love it so much...plus, it never hurts to have an extra mirror! 












Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Snow day!

I had to close today...but the snow ruined that. The mall closed at 5 today and now I'm home. So I guess it's gonna be a lazy day. 

I need to organize some makeup. I got a new zpalette...it's the limited edition Sephora palette! Eek! I'm so excited! 

Monday, January 20, 2014

Valentine's day manis

Here are two quick pictures of my newest manis. 
The first one is heart-shaped flowers with glitter. All nailpolishes are Ciate. They're from the Fairground collection and the flower petals are Pepperminty. 

This Valentine's Day mani was made used Ciate and Essie polishes. The dark pink polish is Bachelorette Bash and the light pink is Ciate Candy Floss. The pink glitter is Ciate Funhouse. I'm proud of my little handwritten "love" on my ring finger with the heart...it's not perfect...but I like it anyway! 

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Sunday

Yeah. That's all I have to say to describe today. I worked today. That went well. I made dinner. And now Dan and I are watching tv. That's probably all there really is to say about today. Grit cardio tomorrow. Wah. Kill me. Haha. 

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Tired

I worked 10 hrs today...but I'm even more tired than usual. Yes, it's my fault. I barely ate today. But I couldn't. Not enough motivation for food. I wish I wasn't so tired...I need to practice Piloxing for Monday's class...but I barely have enough energy to type this.

Would anyone blame me for going to bed right now? Even though it's 830? No? Good. I think that's where I will be heading soon. Dan gets off at midnight and I know he will wake me and we will watch AHS. I'm so tired. I'm dying. Wah. Wah.

GRIT Strength wk 2

Well, that was hell. My damn shoulder hurts so much. But I have to pull through it all. Wah. 

So I took a nap. 

When Dan got home from work, be gave me this: 
It's grown-up shit. Don't worry about our lives. Haha. He literally just put it in the bed with me. Cute, huh? 

Anyway, I went to work today and now I'm home. So that's pretty exciting. Whoo! 

I made the painful discovery that it's only 4 months until my wedding. Today literally is 4 months. I'm so stressed...I'm breaking out...and I don't break out, it's not my skin's style. So I need to chill the hell out.

I texted my bridesmaid Shelly the bouquet I found on Pinterest...and she's so amazing that she ran out and went looking today! She found a bunch of cute pieces to go in my bouquet. Basically, she's a wedding god. She's so helpful.



Thursday, January 16, 2014

Piloxing...finally



Whoo! My favorite! I love Piloxing so much! I didn't take a full class though.

Kaitlyn had to do her video for GRIT, so I volunteered to be a victim for that. Hehe. Not really a victim...but my right shoulder hurts so bad. It's so sore. 
Maybe this is my body saying, "hey, get your ass to yoga." 

I'm just so tired right now that I don't even have the energy in me. I'll have to man up. Haha.


Anyway, Piloxing...Abby told me to have a block ready next week....that means Monday!!! Ahh!!! Need to get my ass in gear!!! It's my favorite class and it's time I get my life together...so here we go!!!


Also, I can't believe I forgot to mention! My hair dresser squeezed me in today! Her salon didn't have the exact colors she and I wanted to use...but it still looks great! I wanted the blue to be more aqua-ish...but that's ok! It's a pretty blue and the bottom of my hair looks like a peacock!!! Haha. Dan hates colors...but the funny thing is, he's going to like this better because the colors are dark and he would pee his pants if I had BLACK hair year round...so he will be happier haha

I couldn't get a very good picture myself...but here's what I got for you: 
Right after I got it done...see, you can barely tell in pictures... But here's some more for you anyway: 
It looks pink-ish here...but there's no pink...so...that's pretty weird 
Different lighting...you can tell here it's blues and purples! 
In this picture, you can't tell at all!
The flash is killing my eyes...no...I am not drunk. I don't even really drink...
Anyway, my hair looks cool...hopefully I can get a better picture soon. 

GRIT strength at 6am. Wah. I just did this! Haha but I volunteered for this pain! Actually, I paid for this pain!

But I will tell you, it's only the second week...and my thighs look a lot better and I've lost inches off of my waist and hips. I will tell you the inches lost mid-program and post-program. 

And I already know that I'm signing up for a second session...because I like torture apparently! Actually because the results are great!







Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Plyo pt 2

Kill me. I thought it would get easier. It doesn't. And it's really hard to type right now. So painful. Haha. 


Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Work work work

I had to use the rest of my vacation before the end of last week...so I used 2 days and still lost 3...but whatever...then I was in Hazard the first part of the week...so it's been a whole since I've been in my own store again...weird

It sucks trying to eat right when chick-fil-a and a new restaurant just opened up in the mall...but I know my wedding is coming and I've got to lose more weight! So it's all worth it!  

Didn't work out today. I was lazy. Oops. Typical me...but I have GRIT at 6am...so there's that...and body pump at 10am and honestly, I should go to PIYO tomorrow night too...but we'll see if I'm up for the triple workout!!! 

Going to bed. Whoo. 


Monday, January 13, 2014

No more holding on

What I mean is...I can't hold onto these negative feelings to all of the people who have done me wrong. I can't do it anymore. I can't forgive Tommy...but just about everyone else is forgiven. I can't stand Tommy because he hurt my family. Forget all of the shit that happened between me and him. Doesn't even matter. But to steal from my family...after everything they did for him. That's low. Really low. And I will never ever ever forgive him. So I'm gonna hold onto that anger my entire life. Sorry. Can't give it up. I'm one of the most forgiving people I know...but he beyond pushed his limit. So that's that. 

Anyway, no more hatred for anyone else. Hurts too much. It's too hard. I have other shit to do besides stay pissed at every asshole who has wronged me. I can't live my life like that anymore. It's too many years of "heartbreak" to hold onto anymore. 

So that's that. I'm done. 


Saturday, January 11, 2014

Off to Hazard!

Calli and I are on the way to Hazard for their inventory. I love the Hazard store and their staff. Wish it wasn't so far from home...but that's ok. Sometimes it's fun to travel though. It's hard to eat on this grit diet while traveling...but Calli and I will work it out. Haha. 


Anyway, that's all there really is to say about that. I'm feeling like a lame-y...so I'm too lazy to write anything else.

Also, I'm too lazy to use real sentences. Deal with it. It's my blog! 

Friday, January 10, 2014

Peacock feather makeup

I had this vision of a giant peacock feather on the side of my face while I was taking a shower after GRIT. I'm really into this "dramatic makeup on one side of the face" thing. I don't know why that's my recent obsession...but it is. Haha 


I made the eyelashes by cutting the side of a peacock feather and individually placing each one on with eyelash glue. Then I added "liner" of black crystals. 
It was time consuming...but I am obsessed with this peacock feather lashes. This is the third time that I have made them, but this is the first time that I have made them for myself!
 Finished product

I'm kind of obsessed with how they turned out! But I knew I would be because I have done them before. 

The lips are Lime Crime Carousel glosses in Loop-de-loop, Hollygram, and Golden Ticket. I'm basically in love with Lime Crime. Their colors are fantastic and their pigmentation is to-die-for!!! 


Overall, I like the way it turned out...but it looks crazy in some pictures. Haha. Oh, well.