Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Olay Pro-X Advanced Cleaning System

So..........

I know that I had previously tried the Clarisonic Mia and I didn't have the best results.  My skin has never fully recovered since using the Clarisonic a few months ago.  Being the little testing guinea pig that I am haha, I was not ready to give up completely on these cleaning systems.  I have been intrigued by the Olay Pro-X Cleansing System for a while now.  It is super affordable compared to the Clarisonic.  The Pro-X is about $28 at Wal Mart and other drugstores nationwide whereas the Clarisonic Mia (the most inexpensive version of the Clarisonic) is about a whopping $160.  Here is what I have observed in my few days of using the Pro-X.  The brush is much much smaller than the Clarisonic.  The Pro-X just has a single, small circular brush head. The Clarisonic has a dual brush head, if that makes sense.  (The head is ciruclar, but the outer part of the head rotates at a different speed than the center of the brush head).  The Pro-X has 2 different speeds, but honestly I can't tell much difference between the two.  It is battery operated, and unfortunately doesn't have a charger like the Clarisonic does. Like the Clarisonic, it is waterproof,  so you can use it in the shower if need be.  I like how the Pro-X is much smaller than the Clarisonic.  Not like the Clarisonic is huge or anything, but the smaller the product, the more portable and easier it is to travel with!

Here are my thoughts about my experience so far.  Well, unfortunately, I am going through the skin purging stage, again.  This totally sucks.  But, with any skin cleansing system, this is bound to happen.  So far my skin hasn't had the same skin purging reaction as it did to the Clarisonic.  With the Clarisonic, my skin turned into cystic acne, with deep breakouts everywhere.  With the Pro-X, I have my impurities surfacing, but not nearly as extreme as I had experienced with the Clarisonic.  Even though my skin is purging, each day my skin is improving overall.  I can actually see some results!  So even though it kills me to have my skin breaking out, the end result is hopefully  in near sight.  I only use the Pro-X once a day, in the evening.  This is important for me because when I wear makeup, I want to make sure that I am going to sleep at night without a trace of makeup left on my skin.    I also don't want to use it twice a day because I have sensitive skin and that would just be way too much for my skin. I put a pump of Purpose Facial Cleanser directly on the brush head.   After I use the Pro-X, I also cleanse my face with oatmeal.  (I have a post about using oatmeal as a facial cleanser...please read if interested on the process)  After I get out of the shower, I use extra virgin olive oil as my moisturizer.  I use a pretty liberal amount and I use small, circular motions to work the oil into my skin.  Extra virgin olive oil is so amazing for your skin and no, it will not clog your pores!  In the morning, my skin is soft, well hydrated and I have noticed the redness in my skin has greatly reduced since doing this routine!

These are my experiences so far in the first week of using the Pro-X.  I will keep you updated on how my skin takes to this cleansing system compared to the Clarisonic Mia!  Hopefully my findings might give you some insight and maybe you'll want to try this affordable cleansing system too.


Until next time,


Always,
Aimee XO


Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Update: The Oatmeal Cleanser Experiment

So.....

It has been almost 2 months since I first started using Oatmeal as apart of my skincare routine.  Here are some of my thoughts on my experience thusfar!

When I first was starting to use the oatmeal as a cleanser, the only oatmeal that I had in the house was the Quaker Old Fashioned Oatmeal that cooks in 5 minutes.  I noticed that with this oatmeal, the oats themselves were whole pieces.  Why I bring this up is that because the oats were in fact whole pieces, it took slightly longer to get them to the milky texture in order to work them into my face.  When I ran out of that specific oatmeal, I purchased the Quaker Quick Minute Oatmeal, which cooks in one minute haha hence the name!  I actually seemed to like how this oatmeal worked a little bit better.  Because the oatmeal was already broken down into smaller pieces, it was almost immediately when I was able to get the oatmeal soft and into the milky texture.  Also, because the pieces were already smaller and broken down, when I added the water, the oatmeal felt much more soft.  Another plus to using the "quick minute" oatmeal was that it was easier for the oatmeal to go down the drain, less of a mess! 

The only difference between the beginning of my experiment and now is that I was my face with Purupose face wash before I use the oatmeal to soothe my skin.  I have actually been having a lot more breakouts lately.  I have been super stressed out lately, my hormones have been all over the place and honestly, I feel like my skin still has not recovered from using the Clarisonic.  I feel like maybe my purging stage was not over and that all this excess junk is still sitting underneath my skin.  So I will be trying some new remedies to try and see how my skin reacts!  I am sick of my skin being horrible and all I wish is that it would go back to the way that it was BEFORE I was a genius and tried the Clarisonic. 

My overall thoughts on Oatmeal as a cleanser are these.  I think it is a great, affordable option for people that don't have acne prone skin!  While I did see an improvement in my breakouts, the oatmeal didn't prevent my skin from new breakouts.  I did see great improvement in the texture of my skin.  My skin is much more soft since using the oatmeal and I have also noticed my skin has a more even tone to it.  I have always had problems with redness on my cheeks and I have to say most of my redness is gone!  This is probably the main reason why I continue to wash my face with the oatmeal.  My skin isn't as irritated and it is nice that my skin has calmed down from the oatmeal.  I have noticed that my skin has made a small improvement on how oily my skin was, nothing dramatic, but at least an improvement. 

Hopefully my experience with oatmeal as a cleanser has given you some insight and has helped you maybe want to try it for yourself!  At least it is a very cheap product to purchase and it won't hurt to try for yourself.  Worse case scenario, you can just have some yummy breakfasts! :)

Until next time,

Always,
Aimee

Friday, December 16, 2011

Roadblock

Hello Bloggerverse!

Again, sorry for the delay in updating.  Today is a very slow day at work and I thought I shall use my time wisely and write a little.  It is amazing to me how important time management is.  Since I have been graduated from college, I feel like I have become so unproductive.  I have all the time in the world (aside from work...) to basically do whatever I please.  And what ends up happening?  Watching Criminal Minds.  That's what happens.  Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely addicted to the show and love it, but....there is so much more that I could be doing with my life.  I am an ambitious person, but at the moment, I feel like I have hit a slight roadblock and need to find that burst of inspiration.  Do you ever feel that way too? I'm sure we all have our moments when this happens.  Here is a list of some stuff that I am trying to work on !

Blog more! Duh!
Learn how to edit my YouTube videos
Read
Spend more time with my puppy dog
Learn how to save my money better!
Maybe this ^^ means I need a second job -_-
Stay positive
Focus on now!
Take more pictures
Be kind
Try new makeup looks
Exercise more regularly
Play more tennis!
Eat less ice cream!
Journal everyday

This is just a small snippet of what I want to try and improve on or do!  I'm sure I'll add to this list sooner rather than later :)

Until next time,

Always,
-Aimee

Thursday, December 8, 2011

VIVA LAS VEGAS!

Hello Bloggerworld! 

It has been ages it seems like since I have posted an entry on here! I am a slacker! I took a random/last minute trip to Vegas and just got back yesterday.  All I can say is this: AMAZING.  I definitely have always loved the city, there is something magical about that place in my opinion.  I am making a commitment to someday live in this wonderful city! One of the reasons why I love this city so much is that it truly is very diverse.  I don't and have never felt out of place like I have even in my own hometown!  I myself am not a gambler, so what I love to do is explore the city in all its fabulousness and go to shows! My roommate and I took advantage of the see 2 shows for $75 deal and it was so worth every cent! I have always gone to see the Tournament of Kings show at Excalibur and this trip would be no exception.  Every year that I have gone to see the show, they have made changes to make it different, new and exciting.  I have to say this year was the best show yet!  Completely worth going to see!  We were on Team Norway and I have to admit our "King" was a little cutie!  He seemed very young, I would say he was barely 18, but it was cool to see a young actor in such a well known show.  Inspiring!  The Tournament of Kings had humor, action and they added a lot more one on one combat parts to the show.  You really feel like you are in medival times, eating your meal with your hands and the fabulous costumes and routines.  The horses are so well trained and it seems that they are taken great care of.  They have added much more fire and small fireworks that go off and it is such a great suprise where they add it in.  What I also enjoy about this show is that there is not a bad seat in the house.  It isn't a huge arena so it feels pretty intimate and also the seating is staggered so nicely that you will have no issues seeing over anyone's heads :)    I also was quite suprised by how great the service was that we had for our drinks and meal!  I forget what his name was, but he was cracking jokes with us the entire time and was great with everyone in his section.  As some people might overlook this detail in light of the show as a whole, for me, it made the experience even better.  I would recommend this show to anyone!  The second show that we saw was.......THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER!!!!!!!  Let me tell you, I would not be the one to go to a show like this because I am pretty conservative in some respects, but I am so glad that I got out of my comfort zone and went to this show!  It was absolutely amazing and frankly adorable!  I know that might be quite a strange adjective, but it really was!  These amazingly good looking men were adorable, endearing, respectful and SOOOOOO NICE!  This is not what people might think when they hear "adult strip tease show".  It was actually super cute how these men had costumes and actual dance routines to different songs.  And when there were the few individual songs where one guy would dance solo, it was soooo cute how they had their own personal styles integrated in to their routines.  What I would also like to say is that it is very tasteful and just fun.  All you see is gorgeous men without their shirts off and you see some bootay but that is about it! :) They also work the crowd going on tables and take a few girls up on stage with them which is fun and you can see they are also having a great time as well.  The show's host, Marcus, was probably one of the funniest guys I have ever seen.  He made the atmosphere so light and just a great time.  What I also thought was fun was that at the end of the show the men stay around and you can take or pay rather to take a picture with them.  You can chat with them and that is so cool!  They were so sweet and funny and it was a nice touch to end the night.  I would also recommend this show to any other lady just looking for laughs and great eye candy :)  The guys are seriously soooooooooo attractive and it defintiely makes me want to go to Australia.  How could you not fall in love with those accents?!

I will hopefully post some pictures soon that I took! 

Until next time,

Always,
Aimee



Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Revlon Lip Butters!






From left to right: Red Velvet, Pink Truffle, Berry Smoothie, Sugar Plum, Raspberry Pie, Candy Apple


I finally found the Revlon Lip Butters!!!!! I was sooooo dying to get my hands on these babies.  I've seen so much type on YouTube about these lip butters that I have been waiting to find these in stores.  I found mine at RiteAid at about $8 a pop.  I am a lip product junkie, so I kinda went a little overboard with getting six of them. :)  I just couldn't resist.  And after trying the formula, I do not for one second regret my purchase!  A part of me kinda wants to get rid of all the other lip products that I have and only stock up on these because I love the formula so much.  This is the perfect lip product for me and I am excited to share my thoughts with you!
I find these to be a SUPER moisturizing lipstick.  This is a product that I and I'm sure other lip junkies have been waiting for.  What turns most people off about lipstick is the fact that they suck out any moisture that you naturally have in your lips and create unattractive cracks in your lips.  Even putting lipbalm or lipgloss on top of the lipstick is kinda too much work for me in my opinion sometimes.  Anyways, these butters are easy to use.  They just glide on so smoothe and you don't have to run these over your lips multiple times in order to get the great color payoff.  The picture of the swatches on my lips you can see in my YouTube video, but the color you see is after 2 or 3 times running it over my hand.  Easy!  Again, I love how much color variation that there is to the collection of this product.  There is a color for every woman's taste that will work well with their skin tone!  I just wish there was more product in the tube, but I guess we can't expect a ton of product in a drugstore item all the time.

So, if you are interested in a little color to spice up your makeup routine, I highly recommend the Revlon Lip Butters!  And if you are feeling hesitant about purchasing these because you're unsure if you will like them, don't be!  CVS, RiteAid and other drugstores will return the product with a receipt if you don't like it!  So there is nothing to be afraid about....but I guarantee you will fall in love just like every other girl in the world is :)

Always,

Aimee

Thursday, November 3, 2011

TUMBLR!

I have decided to move over to Tumblr!  My blog address is beaimplified.tumblr.com.  Hope that you follow you me as I continue my blogging journey!


Always,
Aimee

Saturday, October 22, 2011

The Oatmeal Cleanser Experiment: Day 1

Yes, you read right!  I have been inspired by two YouTubers to try this for myself, using oatmeal as a cleanser!  



This is the oatmeal I used, right out of my cupboard!
  As you may know by previously reading my blog, I recently tried the Clarisonic Mia.  Unfortunately, that product was just not for me.  A common side effect for using the Clarisonic is skin purging.  Skin purging is basically your skin getting rid of the excess "junk" and sebum that you have in your pores which = BREAKOUTS.  Since trying out the Clarisonic, my skin has been in the purging stage for I would say close to more than 2 months now.  I am a skin care freak and my skin being THIS bad absolutely KILLS ME!!!!  This doesn't happen to my skin and its embarrassing when nothing you do to take care of your skin is working.  For the past few months, my skin has turned from combination acne proned skin to so slick and oily that I just look I've been dipped in grease.  It's not a cute look if you know what I mean.  I was catching up on some beauty videos, and I saw Saaammage (YouTuber) had posted an updated skin care routine.  She has mentioned in previous videos how she uses oatmeal as cleanser, but I didn't think too much about it.  She also mentioned that the reason why she started using oatmeal was because of BubzBeauty, another guru that I love watching their videos.  After watching both of their videos, I was ready to try this new remedy!  Now, since this is only day one, I can't give a full review on what I think about oatmeal as a cleanser.  But, I will share with you how I feel after my first try!

I personally really love oatmeal.  I love to eat it and I like the smell and texture oddly enough.  I took enough oatmeal to cover the palm of my hand.  Clenching the oats in my fist, I held my hand under warm water to saturate the oats to make them soft and create a milky cleanser.  Taking the wet oats, I gently rubbed them on my face in small, circular motions.  Again, I feel a little strange liking the smell of oatmeal, but I really didn't mind it at all.  The oats gently exfoliated my skin and I could feel that the texture of the oats was really getting my skin clean.  The obvious downside to using oatmeal as a cleanser is that you have chunky oats all over your face!  Not too sure that my sink enjoyed all those oats :)  After rinsing off the oatmeal from my face, I immediately noticed that my skin felt clean, tight, refreshed and suprisingly brighter!  After cleansing my face, I immediately follow with my moisturizer and I noticed that it felt like my moisturizer sank in to my pores much more than normal, which means that the product is working better for the skin!  Now even though again, the mess I can see would be hard for some people to look past, so far I am willing to continue with this new skincare change to see how my skin progresses over the next few weeks of using the oatmeal.  I will be checking in to give updates on how my skin has changed due to the change of using oatmeal as my new cleanser.  I hope you follow me on this journey for what I hope to be a great new skincare breakthrough for me!



Until next time,

Always,
Aimee


**Here are the videos mentioned in this post**



Friday, October 14, 2011

Holy Grail or Epic Fail? The Clarisonic Mia





The Clarisonic Mia has been a product that I have been drooling over for the past 2 years or so.  I have been watching YouTube beauty videos for almost 3 years now and I have seen so many gurus completely rave about this product. I am also a skincare freak so I thought this would be the perfect product for me.  The Clarisonic claims to be a deep cleaner tool to get all of the excess dirt and oil out of your pores.  It also says that it reduces your pore size, helps eliminate acne, reduces fine lines and can minimize redness.  Sounds awesome right?  Well, after reading many many reviews and seeing how literally everyone was still raving about this product, I decided to take the leap of faith and go to Sephora and get one for myself.  The first time I used the product I was in heaven!  My face was so soft and smoothe it was unreal.  I really thought that I had found my new holy grail product for my skin.  Boy was I wrong.  I have sensitive, combination skin and I have never had issues with acne or breakouts really and that is simply due to the fact that I am such a stickler about my everyday skincare routine.  The Clarisonic was the only part of my routine that changed in my life and I have never had such a problem with breakouts as I have had since using the clarisonic.  My breakouts and acne wasn't getting any better when using the Clarisonic and it was just making it worse.  Everyday it seemed like I had more and more breakouts, and they were getting almost to be cystic like, which of course made me FREAK OUT!!!! The reccomendation for using the Clarisonic is once a day and boy has it made my skin so flakey and peely. Even for just using it once a day, if that!  And all the while my face is looking like a snake shedding while making my face produce so much excess oil that I looked like a disco ball all day! And that is not a cute look for anyone.  I called my local Sephora to ask them if they had any suggestions for me because I was so convinced that this product should be so amazing, so there had to be some sort of solution (or so I thought).  I was told that the Clarisonic makes your skin get worse in order to get better.  Well that does make sense as far as skin care goes, but a month of getting worse?  I was skeptical at this point.  I got online and read some more reviews and found on Amazon that out of 161 user reviews, only 7 other people had the same experience I did.  Other reviews that had the same experiences I had gave the recommendation of returning the product because it wouldn't get any better.  So unfortunately, the Clarisonic just was not meant for my skin.  Thank goodness for high end stores that have amazing return policies, I was able to get my full money back.  (you get what you pay for).  I must have seriously looked like such a goof because the whole time all I could tell the cashier was how sad I was for having to return the Clarisonic.  All skin care products and tools are not created equal.  So just keep that in mind that just because something works for someone else, doesn't necessarily means it will work for you too! So in conclusion, while the Clarisonic didn't work for me, it's kinda one of those products that you just have to invest and take a leap of faith and try it out for yourself to see if it will work for you.  Hope my thoughts helped you in some way!

Until next time......


Always,
Aimee :D

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

5 Fav Lip Balms!

As a special request from my dear sissy, I am here to talk about my 5 favorite lip balms....but I'm sure you were well aware of that from the title!!!  I definitely am a girl with on OBSESSION with lip products.  I have about a million lipglosses, lipsticks, lipstains....you name it, I probably have it or have tried it!  But lip balms are great for the everyday wear and also because they are so low maintenance!  Just slap it on and you're good to go!  There isn't much need for a mirror to make sure the product is correctly in place or on your teeth :)  The main purpose of lip balms is to give your lips protection and moisture!  Your lips will thank you for thinking of them, I assure you :)  So lets get started! ( btw...these are in no particular order in case you are wondering....)

1.  EOS Lipbalms

Left to right: Strawberry Sorbet, Sweet Mint, Medicated Tangerine, Honeysuckle Honeydew,  Summer Fruit ,  Lemon Drop SPF 15

Aren't these things the cutest?  I absolutely love the packaging and yes, they do look like little Easter eggs!  They are so fun and I am obsessed with these suckers!  I actually have every flavor except for the Strawberry Sorbet. I have found all of my lip spheres from Rite Aid and CVS, not too sure where else they have them.  These lipbalms all go on smooth and clear and that's what I love about them.  These are perfect if you want to wear your lips bare or if you want to prime your lips for a lipstick or if you want to give your lips some moisture after using a lipstain as well.  These lipbalms also are gluten free, paraben free, petrolatum free and phthalate free and are 95% organic and 100% all natural.   So in other words, its healthy for your lippies!  These are also very inexpensive, they are around $2.99 and whats great about them is that they have a lot of product in the sphere!  So well worth the $3!


2. LipSmacker in Dr.Pepper


Now this product has to be one of my favorites of all time! I have been a faithful user of this product since my junior high days and let me tell you, that has been a LONG TIME AGO!!!!!  This product as well is super super cheap, like a buck and some change.  It is easily accessible, you can find it at any drugstore out there.  But what I love most about this product is that it gives the perfect slight tint to your lips.  It is seriously the perfect shade!  The balm is hydrating as well and the reason why I find myself reapplying the product over and over is simply because I love it and the smell, not necessarily because I need more on my lips!  


3. Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil



This product is very similar to the Dr.Pepper Lipsmackers, but it is on the pricier side.  Some people are just really in to the whole organic and all natural thing and so that's where you have a product like Burt's Bees.  I love this product because it gives a nice slight tint to my lips.  But the main difference that I see between this product and Dr.Pepper is that it doesn't give off that glossy effect.  Now if you're someone that's looking for something a little more matte without as much shine then this is the product for you.   It smells great and keeps my lips well hydrated!  Burt's Bees products have been making their way around drugstores a lot more.  I would say that Wal Mart is going to be the place to find their products the cheapest.  


4. Maybelline Pop Stick in Fruit Punch




I have all 4 of the colors but I love the Fruit Punch flavor the best.  I am writing about this one simply because I love it so much, but unfortunately, it is a limited edition product.  So if you can get your hands on one, I recommend this flavor!  I found mine at CVS.  I know that Wal Mart for sure doesn't have them but I think Walgreens does.  These are a little more expensive, they were $5.99 at CVS which is on the pricier side for sure.  But this is why I love these things.  You know how your lips look right after you eat a popcicle?  That is the kind of tint these babies give you and they are super moisturizing.  I love the packaging how it looks like a lipstick, but it reminds me of jello too because its clear!  Also, the hot pink casing is just as cute.  

5. Blistex Silk and Shine


This is a great lipbalm and have been using this for years now.  One of my favorite ways to wear this is to wear a lip liner close to the shade of my natural lip color, blend out the edges and put this on top!  It really is silky and it gives your lips a great shine!  It also has spf 15 which is a great plus for everyday wear and you can pretty much do anything with this product.  You can find this anywhere you go pretty much and it will cost you around $2 at drugstores, but sometimes if you look closely, they have great sales on these!




Here are swatches of the products that I mentioned (except EOS woops)....
Left to right: Burts Bees, Blistex, Dr.Pepper and Fruit Punch

This is just to give you an idea as far as tint goes, they all kinda look similarly just as shiny, but I think they all look different on the lips!

Hope this was helpful!

Until next time.........


Always,

Aimee :)




                 



Monday, September 19, 2011

Dr. Feelgood

I think I have discovered my new holy grail!  I have been so excited about this product that I decided to share! Who knows, maybe this product will be a new must have for you too.


I have been using this product for the past few weeks and it has made a world of difference in how my skin looks.  I have very rollercoaster-ish skin.  Sometimes it will be patchy and dry.  Sometimes it will be super, super oily.  And then there are those in between kind of days.  Regardless of what kind of skin day I have, I most of the time get shiny throughout the day and that is not a cute look for me haha.  I have been on the search for something that would make my skin look and stay matte throughout the day.  I have tried various drugstore powders that work....that is if you want to keep piling the powder on your face throughout the day making you look like a walking piece of chalk.  So one night I was in Sephora and I saw Benefit's Dr. Feelgood.  I have heard so many good things about Benefit products all throughout YouTube and I had never tried anything from this specific brand.  But I was very intrigued.  I had seen YouTuber DulceCandy87 show this product in one of her haul videos and that is how I recognized what it actually was.  The product description is as follows: "The invisible refiner, blended with Vitamin C helps to smooth away the appearance of fine lines while leaving skin feeling and looking more silky, flawless and matte to the touch.  It's a colorless, weightless miracle worker.  How to use: Pat and smooth over makeup with its accompanying sponge.  Or, simply wear it alone".  When I first tried this product out, I patted it with the sponge over my makeup.  I noticed that my face looked matte, but I kinda had to use what seemed to me a lot of product.  Another downfall was that it made the sponge pick up the pigmentation of whatever foundation or powder that I was currently wearing on my face.  But the way that I actually use this product is more as a primer.  Now this product isn't necessarily called a primer, but I personally think that this is the way to go.  On a clean, moisturized face, simply gently press the product on your face in the key areas that get oily and shiny throughout the day.  After that, you are ready to continue on with your regular foundation/face routine.  Doing this, I have noticed that my makeup lasts longer throughout the day and also it controls the shine and oil so well!  I feel like its better to have the product directly touching your skin and having that barrier between your skin and your makeup.  I do have to say that the biggest downfall of the product is the fact that it is expensive......$30!  Now for someone who is an avid makeup wearer and someone who loves this sort of thing, I saw this as a positive investment.  That is exactly what this product is.  But I can see for someone who is maybe new to makeup or not an everyday wearer, the commitment may seem scary!  Well here are some reasons to give it a try!  You get 0.85 oz of product and while that doesn't sound like much, this product will last a long time.  It kind of reminds me of a jarred lip balm with a creamy, silky texture.  This is probably going to take me months and months to get through!  So if you think about it this way.......if you wear makeup avidly and it lasts you 6 months.....that is only $5/month to use it :)  Another plus to buying higher end products, they have great return policies!  If you buy something and it is absolutely not for you, go back and return it!  They never ask questions!  As far as customer service, you get what you pay for !!!  So essentially it is risk free to try things at department stores or places like Sephora.  Anywho, hope this may be helpful to someone out there!  Just wanted to share a current obsession of mine :)


Until next time........


Always,
Aimee :)

Saturday, September 17, 2011

All you need is LOVE!

Wow, what a week it has been! I am proud to say that yesterday my beautiful sister, Nicole, finally got married!!!!!!!! I still am in utter shock right now.  But in a good way :)  She and her new hubster, Brian, had a very intimate beach wedding.  The sun was shining, there was a slight breeze and everything was the way that it was supposed to be.  Nicole's dreams came true! Love it!  These past few months since April when they got engaged, I was excited about the event but definitely not emotional in any way.  I think the reason for that was I kept thinking, " Oh, its going to be in a few months so I guess I really shouldn't think about it now".  Well boy was I an EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER!!!!!!! As soon as I saw my sister with my stepdad at the beginning of the boardwalk I completely lost it.  Thank goodness my new found friend, Liz, taught me a few nifty ways to hide some tissues because I needed them for sure!  They say pictures are worth a thousand words, and boy is that not a joke.  I wish I could describe to you the million things that raced through my mind.  And if such an emotional moment happened for me, imagine what the bride and groom were thinking!  Nicole looked so happy and so ready for their epic moment.  The way that Brian smiled and looked at her with such admiration was incredible.  I am such a hopeless romantic and I love things like this!  All the months of their hard work of making the event happen came down to those important moments and it was all worth it I am positive of that!  The dinner was amazing, the cake was stunning, dancing to 90's music was hilarious and it was just so great to see and meet all the people that have a special place in Nicole and Brian's hearts.  I will never forget this night and I am so blessed to have both of them in my lives.  I know they have nothing short of a bright future and like I said in my toast......I know what they have is real and true.  Congrats Nicole and Brian!!!!!!! I love you both with all my heart!


Until next time........


Always,
Aimee

Saturday, August 27, 2011

O.M.GEE.

Jersey Shore! Jersey Shore!  Not gonna lie, Jersey Shore is probably one of my favorite guilty pleasures EVER! I know it's seriously the most random show, but if you listen to the things those people say, it is pure comedy in my eyes.  Megan and I have loved watching the shore together since our days as roomies, so of course we had to carry on the tradition!  We get together on Thursdays and make ourselves a "classic Italian" meal and laugh watching those crazy people!  This week, we made our trip to our neighborhood Vons :) and got some bow tie pasta, gelato, french bread, and our fav apple muffins haha.  The gelato was delicious!  We kinda cringed at the whopping $4 and change that EACH one was!  But, go big or go home, right? Definitely not our frugalista find of the night.  Here are pictures of our oh so classy dinner :)






Sadly, this week was our last Thursday dinner together. So depressing!  Megan is going to be going to train in Kaui (so jealous) and then she is going to Indonesia to help women in need coming out of sex trafficking.  She is going to be gone for 8 months!!!!!!!!!!  It is going to be such a beautiful, life changing experience and I am so excited for these new steps in her life.  So proud that she is going out in the world to change lives.  It is really inspirational and so motivating.  Megan is one of the greatest people I have ever met in my life, she is such an amazing friend.  I have always thought Meg has been one of the most compassionate, loyal, funny, beautiful, trustworthy, caring and good hearted person I have known in my lifetime.   I am going to miss you Meg more than you will ever know! But as we say, its just a "see you later", no goodbyes.  We have too many things to cross off our bucket lists together!!! 


<<"She's too young for you bro....."


So I will leave you all with this: "Friendship is the glue that keeps our lives together."---Megan "just g" Gee


Until next time......



Always,
Aimee

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

The Good Life!


Life has been super busy lately! I recently moved and have been looking for a new place with 2 of my girlfriends.  My sister is getting married in 23 days! I can't even believe it!  I just wanted to write a quick post about how sometimes we forget how good we have it in life.  Life can get overwhelming and its easy to focus on the stress and that bad things going on.  I have been absolutely OBSESSED with the song "Good Life" by One Republic.  I am an avid follower of two YouTube Beauty Guru's  Carly Cristman and Hahn.  You should really check them out if you get a chance.  I love both of their style and you can tell they work hard at making their videos original! Both of them have used music by Alex Goot here on YouTube as well, and I have put his cover of "Good Life" on repeat for the past few days!!!!!!  I love his voice and I also love Megan Nicole who he sings the song with.


Enjoy! Be happy and share the love!

Always,
Aimee :)
 

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Say yes......to tomatoes!!!!!!

This is my new OBSESSION!  I never thought I was going to fall in love with this stuff the way that I did.  One night my roommates and I were doing a little ritual shopping at Ross.  I ALWAYS have to browse through the beauty section, sometimes you can find the best hidden treasures there.  I found this product, it is the Yes to Tomatoes Totally Tranquil Facial Hydrating Lotion for only.....................$2.99!  What a steal! Of course I had to try it out.  Another reason that pushed me to trying this product out is my friend, Megan, loves the Yes to line of products.  Why? Because this stuff is actually good for your skin!



The Totally Tranquil Facial Hydrating Lotion claims that it balances and hydrates your skin.  The cream combines organic tomatoes, watermelon, chamomile and dead sea minerals.  This product is 99.6% all natural ingredients and it is also free of parabens and petroleum and SLS.

Looks like you can only buy it in the facial set. Buy it here!

Tomatoes are an excellent ingredient for skin.  Not only are they extremely accessible to everyone, but they carry large amounts of carotene lycopene ( in other words.....its one of the most powerful natural antioxidants around).  What is so important about lycopene is that improves your skins ability to protect itself against harmful UV rays.

When people think of watermelon, most think of a nice, refreshing, summertime treat.  But watermelon contains large amounts of Vitamin C and the red flesh of the watermelon contains lycopene as well.  Antioxidants=your skins bff!

Chammomile is a nice addition to this product mixture in order to help soothe skin and it naturally helps reduce your skins stress.  In that case, pass me buckets of this stuff!!!!

Most people get confused about why it is important for products to be paraben free.  Parabens are basically a preservative that have been used in products such as shampoos, moisturizers, shaving gels, pharmeceuticals, makeup, toothpaste etc simply because of how common their ingredients are, they are inexpensive and more "efficient".  Products don't use as many natural alternatives because making them isn't as efficient in cost, shelf life and production.  Parabens are controversial because they have been linked to breast cancer.  In breast cancer tumors, there have been low concentrations of parabens found.  Parabens can weakly mimic estrogen and estrogen is the hormone that plays a significant role in the development of breast cancer.  Even though there hasn't been a 100% definite answer as to whether or not parabens can cause breast cancer tumors, I'd say its best to stay away from them when you can!

Now.........enough with the formal stuff.  Here is what I think about the product.  I would absolutely purchase this product again, even at full price (which I believe is like $19.99).  The texture is thick and creamy and massaging this lotion in small circular motions all over my face and neck feels like heaven.  I have been using this product for at least 2 1/2 weeks now, and my skin is softer, more hydrated, my skin seems to be more even toned and the overall texture of my face and neck has greatly improved.  There isn't really a scent to this lotion.  Doesn't stink, but doesn't smell great either.  This product says its specifically for oily or combination skin, which is what I am. I'm not gonna lie, I was skeptical as to how a cream this thick wouldn't make me break out and even oilier.  But, it didn't make me do either one of those things.  (Sidenote: if you do have oily skin, make sure you are still hydrating your skin enough.  Just because you have oily skin, doesn't mean your skin doesn't need some TLC.  A lot of times girls with oily skin neglect to properly moisturize their faces which in turn makes their skin overproduce oil from the lack of needed moisture.  So you just need to find the right moisturizer for you ie: oil free, non-comedogenic).

So, I would definitely recommend this product to anyone.  Hope this review was helpful!  There will be more product reviews to come.....I've got a list! :)

Always,
Aimee

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Ahora

I can't believe its been almost a month since I have written on here!  Even though I hate the word "busy", that is exactly what I have been.  But, a good busy.  I have been spending a lot of time with my friends and I have been loving every minute of the moments and memories in these past few months.  I care about each and every person that makes my life so fulfilling.
Sometimes though, I think we all need a little reset button.  There are times when I find myself needing a moment to sit, think and slow things down for a minute to see the bigger picture in life.  We all get so caught up in worldly things that we don't realize what we have now, in this exact moment in time.  I am sooooo guilty of this.  I am the type of person that likes to try and plan for the future.  I am such a little worry wort sometimes.  I wonder what will happen to me tomorrow, and I try and map out my life which is in fact such a joke to even try and do.  But I like to be in control of my life.  I don't want to make stupid decisions that could potentially effect the rest of my life in a negative way.  But with that all being said, I sometimes forget to focus on NOW.  I don't see all the good, all of the blessings that I have staring at me straight in the face.  How could things be more obvious?!  Duhhhhhh Aimee.  Geez.  But I think that I have learned to appreciate people that much more.  Because we never know how much time we have with each other.  I know that sounds sooooooo repeated, but why would people repeat it if it wasn't true?  There is no other way to live than to live with an open heart, spilling your every emotion and jumping head first.  Might be scary, but wouldn't you want those you love to know exactly how you feel about them?  Live everyday without a regret and you will feel complete, I assure you.  Those who are close to me have heard me say this so much.  I think you should just be the person you are, no bull s*&#.  People respect others so much more when they are just genuine and when they aren't afraid to just own up to who they are.  What makes us different, makes us beautiful people.  There are no limits to what you can be.   As long as you have that belief in yourself and that self assurance in who you are, no one can stop you from achieving anything.

Always,
Aimee

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Someday; Inviting. Flirty. Hopeful.



The new Justin Bieber fragrance comes out on June 20, 2011 and I have been so excited to smell it!  Yesterday was great, got my new People Style and Watch Magazine in the mail.  Of course, I couldn't wait and I had to start flipping through the mag.  And there it was......a scented strip where I could FINALLY smell the J Biebs fragrance. :)  "SOMEDAY is why we never say never.  It's the reason we never give up, the reason we never give in.  It's a place in our hearts that can't be broken, where our dreams always come true and the moment we'll NEVER LET GO."  Now, as a true Biebs fan as you know, I loved this little section talking about the fragrance.  It plays off of his well known saying, NEVER SAY NEVER and I also liked how he tied in his song NEVER LET GO.  If you haven't listened to either, check them and give it a chance :)

Being so curious as to what the pop teen would come up with for his idea of what a woman "should" smell like, I wasn't suprised at the scent.  It is light, sweet, with a slight floral scent.  To give you an idea of what it smells like.....it smells extremely similar to Secret Wonderland by Bath and Body Works.  Kinda random that I know this but after initially smelling the Someday sample, it smelt exactly like my roomie, Carissa.  And I had given her the Secret Wonderland lotion and spray for Christmas. In case you don't know what scent I'm talking about, here's a picture of the collection.





Now......the cool part about his fragrance is that absolutely all of the proceeds are going to charity.  I think that that is an awesome thing to do.  Because you know every little teenage girl (yes, including myself) will want to go out and purchase this fragrance simply for the fact that Justin created this.  So you can just imagine how much MOOLAH is going to be made off of this thing.  So, kudos to you Justin for stepping up and doing something good for others.  But on the flip side, I'm sure that a lot of people can't just shell out $50 for a fragrance like it's nothing.  So at least there is an alternative for people as well where they can still smell as good as the Biebs intended hahahaha.  Now the question is........do I get Someday or Secret Wonderland?!

side note: I checked out Bath and Body Works' website and they are having a sale going on right now for Secret Wonderland....buy 3 get 3 free!!! What a steal!!! :)

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Finally!

I can't believe I am FINALLY doing this! I have sat and contemplated writing a blog for quite some time.  I am excited beyond belief for making this blog my own and exploring new things and ideas.

If you know me, you know YouTube has been quite an obsession of mine for the past few years.  I am addicted to watching How to and style videos and have been completely inspired and have learned so much from other people's videos and blogs.  I love watching product reviews and tutorials and they have definitely given me much guidance over the past few years.  So why not pass it on? I am a fashion and makeup LOVER!!!!!  I always have been.  I can actually remember my first experience with makeup.  I used to wear this dark blue eyeshadow that I took from my mom's bathroom and I would literally put a blue line along my lash line. !!!!!!!!!! I wish I had pictures of what I must have looked like.  But man oh man have I come a long way since the sixth grade.  But, not without testing and learning how to use different products and such over the years. 

And so, this is where my blog comes in to my life.  I just want this to be a place where I can share my thoughts, current favorites, regrets and all things Aimee.  I have been inspired by so many other young women and I know that if one person reads this blog and can learn something or feel better or anything, that would make me happy.  I am just hear to share my life with others and just have fun with it!

Now, about the name.  AHAHAHAHA this is what took FOREVER to figure out.  I am such an indecisive person and it literally took me months to pick out a name.  AND......it wasn't even myself that came up with it.  Megan, who is a dear friend of mine one night was over and it seriously just popped out of her mouth.  PURE GENIUS!!! To amplify means to make larger, stronger, more powerful, and/or to expand.  So, we added part of my name in there to make it unique :)  Again, I'm here to help inspire others to be the best version of themselves, to love who they are and embrace life! So the name is perfect to me.  

Happy reading and hope you enjoy future posts!


Always,
Aimee